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Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that a total of 5,345 building units were purchased and sold at MOP8.98 billion in the third quarter of 2009 according to Stamp Duty records, up substantially by 44.0% and 96.3% respectively from the second quarter. Among them, 1,880 were new units, at MOP5.16 billion, still within the property tax exemption period, up notably by 70.4% and 107.0% respectively quarter-to-quarter. The majority (3,681 units) of these transactions were residential units amounting to MOP7.66 billion, soaring by 61.7% and 103.5% respectively quarter-to-quarter, of which 3,000 units were situated in the Macao Peninsula and 672 in Taipa. In terms of the price of transaction, 1,300 units were sold for MOP1,000,000 or less and 1,083 units for over MOP1,000,000 to MOP2,000,000. Analyzed by year of completion of the building, 1,370 residential units were completed in 2000 and after, with 1,439 units in 1990-1999 and 872 units in 1989 and before. As regards the floor area of the unit, 1,846 units (50.1% of total) had an area of 50 to 99.9 square metres. In the third quarter of 2009, the average transaction price of residential units rose by 27.6% quarter-to-quarter to MOP24,154 per square metre of usable area, with the average price of those in the Macao Peninsula increasing by 35.8% to MOP24,158 per square metre, of which the area of NAPE e Aterros da Baía da Praia Grande went up by 29.6% to MOP51,296 per square metre; meanwhile, the average price of those in Taipa increased by 6.8% to MOP23,897 per square meter. In addition, the average price of residential units purchased and sold under Intermediate Transfer of Title stood at MOP34,357 per square metre, up by 10.2% quarter-to-quarter. The average transaction price of office units rose by 2.5% over the preceding quarter to MOP20,049 per square meter, while that of industrial units went down by 5.8% to MOP5,480 per square metre. There were 2,825 cases of real estate sale and purchase contracts made in the third quarter of 2009, involving 3,323 units valued at MOP3.94 billion, up by 16.7% and 19.9% respectively quarter-to-quarter. The total value of mortgage loans amounted to MOP5.97 billion. In the third quarter of 2009, approvals were granted to the construction of 17 buildings with a gross floor area of 121,681 square metres, which will provide a total of 534 units, 529 parking spaces for cars and 117 parking spaces for motorcycles upon completion. Meanwhile, construction of 12 new buildings with a gross floor area of 10,118 square metres has been started which, upon completion, will provide 63 units, of which 43 are residential units. In addition, a total of 19 buildings with a gross floor area of 436,310 square metres were completed, altogether providing 1,245 units (1,217 are residential units), 2,146 parking spaces for cars and 377 parking spaces for motorcycles.
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During the Seminar on “Conserving Water and Combating Salt Tide in Zhuhai and Macau”, Mr Guo Zhongqiu, Director of Zhuhai Ocean and Fisheries Bureau told the media that the third round of water transfer has been launched. All the standby pumping machines in Pinggang Pumping Station have been in use and a total of 1,300,000 cubic meters of water is drawn daily. He said, according to the present situation, water supply to Macau and Zhuhai can be safeguarded until Spring next year. He then urged the public of Macau to be relieved. He added that water conservation is a social behavior in a conservation-oriented society, and yet the two governments are confident in securing their water supply. Since the construction of Zhuyin Reservoir is going to be completed by the end of next year, with its water capacity of 43,000,000 cubic meters, the needs of water supplied to Macau and Zhuhai can be met until 2020, provided that the economic development of both cities is at a pace like today’s. Speaker of the seminar, Ms. Zhao Xiaolin, Assistant Chief Engineer of Pearl River Water Resources Commission (PRWRC) said that the water transfer project is a short-term measure. She said that if we wanted to solve the problem of Macau’s water supply, apart from searching water sources in Zhuhai, we had to establish a controlled system of the basin. She explained that the Datengxia Hydroelectric Project, which is to be constructed shortly, would be able to help Macau to solve such problem fundamentally. According to Ms. Zhao, the project is undergoing approval from the National Development and Reform Committee. The construction is expected to start at the end of this year, at the soonest, and is going to take 9 years to complete. Speaking of the Datengxia Hydroelectric Project, Susana Wong Soi-man, Head of the Working Group on the Development of a Water Conservation Society, revealed that in addition to the Expression of Interest signed by the Macau SAR government with the PRWRC, the SAR government is going to sign a formal agreement on the granting of a financial assistance of 800 million RMB to support the project. Wong said that the amount would be mainly used for the relocation of residents and for the soil and water conservation in the affected areas due to the construction. Besides the Datengxia Project, which is a long-term measure to tackle the problem of Macau’s water supply, the SAR government has already granted an interest-free loan of 450 million RMB to support the construction of Zhuyin Reservoir, which is comparatively an interim measure.
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The popularity of the Internet enables quick and effective dissemination of information around the world and creates a business environment which is not restricted by time or geographical boundaries. The application of e-commerce enables SMEs to conduct businesses with trade partners around the world and establish an extensive global partnership network. Enterprises can promote their products and businesses on the service platform provided by e-commerce operators to create more business opportunities and widen publicity for themselves. With the objective of providing more diversified services to local enterprises and assisting them to make the best use of the Internet for marketing and enhance comprehensive competitiveness, IPIM will introduce the E-Commerce Promotion Incentive Measures on 1 November 2009, to encourage local enterprises to develop e-business usage and explore unlimited development potentials. SMEs can promote and publicise their products and businesses on the websites of “Accredited E-commerce Operators” approved by IPIM. A subsidy will be provided by IPIM to cover up to 70% of the publicity and promotion expenses, the subsidy for each SME will be limited to a total of MOP20,000. IPIM’s SMEC strives to assist local enterprises to explore overseas and local markets and motivate local enterprises to participate in exhibitions and conferences through a series of incentive measures, eg. the Regulations on Participation in IPIM’s Activities which provides financial assistance to local enterprises for enrollment fees and costs related to publication, is highly supported and recognised by the local business community. Since 2007, the programme has already provided financial assistance of over MOP 5 million to 472 enterprises and organisations in the participation of 33 local exhibitions. On the foundation of encouraging local enterprise to participate in exhibitions, IPIM extends its support service to cover the e-commerce service platform, to enable businesses to take advantage of the timeless and borderless Internet to promote their products and services, to strengthen publicity and promotion and thus explore business opportunities. For further information on the programme and application form, please visit SMEC at Alameda Dr. Carlos d’Assumpção No. 263, Edif. China Civil Plaza, 19-20° andar, Macao, or download from IPIM’s website (www.ipim.gov.mo). For enquiries, please contact SMEC (Tel: 2872 8212) during office hours.
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Spectators at the Windsor Arch 56th Macau Grand Prix are in for a real treat next weekend as a bevy of singing stars stage a Grand Prix-themed visual and musical spectacular to help celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Macau SAR. A dazzling array of Hong Kong stars, including Kenny Bee, Leo Ku, Cheung Chi Lam, Vincy Chan, Bernice Liu, Kay Tse and Raymond Lam will be joined by ‘Miss Chinese International Pageant’ contestants Christine Kuo and Xu Meng, and eight ‘Mr. Hong Kong’ contestants, plus the ‘Delicious Angels’ from TVB celebrity cooking show, ‘Beautiful Cooking’, in a stage performance using song, dance and racing girl costumes to illustrate the glitz and glamour of the Macau Grand Prix. The performances, from 12:55 to 13:25 on Saturday, November 21st, and 14:15 to 15:00 on Sunday, November 22nd, will be held on a specially-constructed stage opposite the spectator grandstand at the famous Lisboa Bend. However, both performances will be show on diamond screens around the circuit and across Macau ensuring both visitors and residents can all enjoy the show. Saturday’s performance will begin with a racing-themed dance by eight ‘Mr. Hong Kong’ contestants, followed by Christine Kuo and Xu Meng of the ‘Miss Chinese International Pageant’ and the ‘Delicious Angels’ modelling Grand Prix outfits, and singing performances by Bernice Liu, Kay Tse and Raymond Lam. On Sunday, the ‘Mr. Hong Kong’ contestants will once again open the show, this time with an unusual dance performance featuring oil can drums, spanners and tyres! A spectacular singing performance will feature Cheung Chi Lam, Vincy Chan and Leo Ku will, while Kenny Bee will perform some rock’n’roll classics. The show will close with all the singers and ‘Mr. Hong Kong’ contestants sending blessings to China and Macau on the anniversary of the SAR. All the singers will then take part in a parade lap around the famous Guia street circuit, giving fans at all the grandstands and viewing points a chance to see them. The live performances are a new addition to the Grand Prix this year, and add even more excitement to the city-wide carnival during November as well as to the celebrations marking the 10th anniversary of the Macau SAR. The Windsor Arch 56th Macau Grand Prix runs from Thursday, November 19th to Sunday November 23rd, and features the unofficial world cup of Formula 3, the Formula 3 Macau Grand Prix; the final rounds of the 2009 FIA World Touring Car Championship; the Macau Motorcycle Grand Prix; and a host of thrilling support races. Food festivals, exhibitions and fireworks combine with the high-octane, on-track action to ensure Macau really is a city which never sleeps for the month of November. The official website is at www.macau.grandprix.gov.mo
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Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO) will host today a “Taste Macau” dinner in tribute to the Macanese Culinary, to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of the Macau Special Administrative Region, and the opening of the 9th Macau Food Festival. On the occasion, MGTO will launch the book “Macanese Culinary – 100 Specialities”, authored by João António Ferreira Lamas, to promote the Macanese food unique to Macau. MGTO invited to the dinner representatives from several related association to taste a menu of special Macanese food, accompanied with Portuguese wine. MGTO Director João Manuel Costa Antunes said, “Macanese food main influences come from the Portuguese and Chinese culinary, combining elements from the East and West, in a fusion which we can say is unique in the world. These flavors can only be tasted in Macau and among the overseas Macanese communities. The Macanese gastronomy reflects the cultural mix, which gives a name to Macau and has attracted many tourists to the city. Through the Macanese food flavors, visitors can experience the essence of Chinese and Portuguese culture mix, with one’s taste buds becoming a key selling point of the city.” The “Taste Macau” dinner, held at the Macau Tower, will be participated by the representatives of Wine Society of Macau, the Macau Culinary Association, the United Association of Food & Beverage Merchants of Macau, the Macau Chinese Culinary Chefs Association, and the Slow Food Macau Movement, among other guests. During the dinner MGTO will launch the book “Macanese Culinary – 100 Specialities”, which is a trilingual edition, in Chinese, Portuguese and English. João António Ferreira Lamas, a almost 90 years old Portuguese, married with late Macanese Ercília Maria de Sousa Nolasco da Silva, will attend the presentation. The book gathers hundred of recipes of Macanese gastronomy, mostly homemade ones little known by the public selected from the author’s immense collection, which he now shares in this book as one more attempt to keep this unique cuisine tradition alive.
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that the principal indicators of the Construction Sector reversed the rapid development in the past years to register year-on-year decline in 2008, except Gross Value Added, which was attributable to the effect of the financial tsunami and suspension of the construction of some major tourism and gaming facilities. In 2008, a total of 1,510 establishments were operating in the Construction Sector, down by 111 over 2007, with the number of persons engaged decreasing by 3.3% to 26,241. Total Value of Construction Work amounted to MOP52.63 billion, down by 3.9% year-on-year; Intermediate Consumption, including construction materials, went down by 4.9% to MOP41.68 billion. Moreover, Gross Value Added that measures the sectoral contribution to the economy totalled MOP11.56 billion, up slightly by 1.2%. There were 1,088 construction projects carried out in 2008 and 515 were those of the private sector, with the respective total value falling by 1.0% year-on-year to MOP49.92 billion, of which the value of construction of major tourism and gaming facilities and hotels shared MOP42.56 billion (85.3% of total value of private construction work), down by 2.4% over 2007. Value of construction of private residential work registered an increase of 21.2%, at MOP5.23 billion. The government sector took up 573 construction projects, with the respective value shrinking by 38.0% year-on-year to MOP2.71 billion, of which construction of infrastructure decreased by 57.6% to MOP1.04 billion; however, construction of public housing rose notably by 2.5 times to MOP328 million. In 2008, a total of 883 construction projects were carried out in the Macao Peninsula, with the value of construction (MOP18.74 billion) accounting for 35.6% of the total. Meanwhile, value of construction of the 30 projects in the CoTai area (MOP31.24 billion) shared 59.4% of the total. Coverage of the Construction Survey included the construction establishments licensed by the Lands, Public Works and Transport Bureau that were engaging in private and public construction work.
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service indicated that visitor arrivals in package tours increased by 18.8% year-on-year to 361,403 in September 2009, attributable to a 35.0% increase of Mainland visitors (241,481); besides, those from Japan (31,450); Taiwan, China (22,930); and Indonesia (9,971) rose notably by 81.6%, 14.7% and 125.8% respectively, while those from Hong Kong (17,410) decreased markedly by 52.5%. In the first three quarters of 2009, visitor arrivals in package tours dropped by 6.1% year-on-year to 3,284,659. In September 2009, the number of Macao residents travelling outbound in package tours saw continuous decrease and fell by 25.3% year-on-year to 11,821, with Mainland China (76.3% of total); Japan (5.4%); and Taiwan, China (4.7%) being the most popular tour itineraries. In the first nine months of 2009, residents travelling outbound in package tours dropped by 14.9% year-on-year to 144,792. Meanwhile, the number of residents travelled outbound under own arrangements using services of travel agencies surged by 42.1% year-on-year to 43,902 and the main destinations were Hong Kong (41.4% of total); Mainland China (31.5%); and Taiwan, China (11.7%). In the first nine months of 2009, outbound residents travelling under such arrangements up by 15.2% year-on-year to 329,728. At the end of September 2009, total number of guest rooms available at the hotel sector increased by 1,354 (+8.1%) from a year earlier to 18,146 rooms. In September 2009, a total of 543,182 guests checked into hotels and guest-houses, up by 14.7% year-on-year, with the majority coming from Mainland China (47.2% of total) and Hong Kong (23.2%). The average hotel occupancy rate rose by 5.5 percentage points year-on-year to 72.3%, with 3-star hotels leading at 75.1%. The average length of stay of hotel guests increased by 0.03 night to 1.5 nights. The cumulative number of hotel guests decreased slightly by 0.2% in the first three quarters of 2009 to 4,805,090. In the first nine months of 2009, visitor-guests of hotels accounted for 61.1% of the total number of tourists, up from 57.1% in the corresponding period of 2008.
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The staff and students of the Institute For Tourism Studies (IFT) have raised MOP13,995 for the 8．8 Chinese Taiwan flood catastrophe. Registrar of IFT, Mr. Antonio Chu and representatives from the IFT Student Union, delivered the money raised to Mr. Mike Chen, Director of the Taipei Economic & Cultural Center, to help fund Chinese Taiwan’s recovery. In light of the devastating flood in Chinese Taiwan (8 August), lots of buildings collapsed and many people lost their families. IFT’s staff and students have started a relief campaign to help the victims. The campaign included individual donations and the “Charity Music Show for 8．8 Flood Disaster in Chinese Taiwan” organised by the IFT Student Union. The Charity Music Show, performed by IFT students and staff, attracted over 200 audiences. All income from ticket sales was donated to Taiwan flood relief. IFT encourages its students to take part in community and charity work. There are also many in-school events which are co-organised with various charity organisations, these include the charity dinner organised by Bachelor of Science in Hotel Management Year 2 students to raise fund for the Action Oasis of the Chinese Educators Association of Macau; and the upcoming bookmark sale and “Loss of Preciousness” Charity Night co-organised by Bachelor of Science in Tourism Event Management Year 3 students and Macau Caritas. IFT believes that by encouraging the students to participate in charity works, they can learn to treasure what they have got while helping the needy.
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Celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC), a series of activities have been held from May to December 2009, including the University Students’ Statistical Project Competition, thematic seminar, comic series on statistics “The 18 Changes of Macao” and release of the Commemorative Publication. University Students’ Statistical Project Competition The Competition took place in May and June, which aimed to enhance students’ interest and ability on the application and analysis of official statistics and to get to know Macao better through statistical data and scientific methods. The Competition was well received with participation of about 400 students submitting nearly 100 entries. The assessment of entries took two rounds, with the ten best teams being shortlisted to the final to compete for the prizes on 10 October. On the day of the final, each team was given only fifteen minutes to present a Powerpoint with highlights of the project to the panel of judges. The panel was presided by Prof. Frederick W. H. Ho, ex-Commissioner for Census and Statistics Department of the Hong Kong SAR and Statistical Advisor to the National Bureau of Statistics of China; other members included Mr. Sou Tim Peng, Director of Macao Economic Services; Ms. Vanessa Kong, Director of DSEC and President of the Consultative Committee on Statistics (CCE); Dr. Benjamin S. S. Chan, Director of Research and Statistics Department of the Monetary Authority of Macao (AMCM) and Vice-President of CCE; and Ms. Ana Cheng, Deputy Director of DSEC. The judges would select in accordance with the content of the Powerpoint presentation, proper use of statistical data, analysis and logical reasoning, etc., together with questions raised to the contestants on the theme topic presented. After the presentation, Prof. Ho praised the effectiveness of the Competition and the high quality of the entries in his concluding remarks; he highly appreciated the enthusiasm and considerable effort of all the participating teams. Prof. Ho believed that the Competition could encourage proper use of statistics among the students. He added that statistics is just like a “guiding light”, with which students can act consciously and be able to optimize the advantage of statistics. Lastly, Prof. Ho praised DSEC for its continuous effort on the development of the statistical system towards international standards. The Winner of the University Students’ Statistical Project Competition is “Road Traffic” (a cash prize of MOP15,000); the First Runner-up is “Tears Behind the Diamond – A Study on Income Inequality in Macau” (MOP8,000), and the Second Runner-up is “Develop Macau as a Sustainable Tourism Destination in Terms of Hotel Industry” (MOP5,000). Excerpt from the final is available on DSEC website. Thematic Seminar on Statistics In an effort to raise the professional knowledge of its staff, DSEC invited Prof. Frederick Ho to give a thematic seminar on 23 October, the Day of Official Statistics, focusing on implementation of statistical projects, data collection and dissemination, external relation, positioning of the organization, etc. The three-hour interactive discussion looked at the relationship between statistics and media, the partnership of media and effective data dissemination and statistical promotion. DSEC colleagues participated actively in the seminar and Prof. Ho answered each of the questions in details. In view of the effectiveness of the seminar, DSEC is considering to organize more professionals to talk and share their views with its staff, to extend their vision and enhance their professional knowledge. Gala Dinner A gala dinner was held at the Grand Lisboa Hotel in the evening, with the theme “Building on Past Success, Meeting the Future Challenges”. In her welcome remarks, the Director of DSEC emphasized that the Official Statistics must enhance the quality of work to keep pace with the social and economic changes. In addition to the participation of nearly two hundred staff, the invited guests included Commissioner for Census and Statistics Department of the Hong Kong SAR, Mr. Fung Hing Wang and three Assistant Commissioners; Chief of Cabinet of Secretary for Economy and Finance, Ms. Lok Kit Sim; Director of Macao Economic Services, Mr. Sou Tim Peng; President of the AMCM, Mr. Anselmo Teng; Statistical Advisor to the National Bureau of Statistics of China, Prof. Frederick Ho; and members of the Consultative Committee on Statistics. During the gala dinner, the Award of Appreciation was presented to the senior staff who have been working for DSEC for 25 and 15 years; in addition, the Award was also presented to three senior members of the Consultative Committee on Statistics, Mr. Vong Kok Seng, Mr. Kwok Kai Hin and Mr. Fong Ka Wai, for their valuable contribution to the development of the Official Statistics. Prizes were also awarded to the Winner, the First and Second Runners-up and the Distinguished teams of the University Students’ Statistical Project Competition, as well as Distinguished participants of the 2011 Census slogan competition. “The 18 Changes of Macao” Comic Series From September to December 2009, DSEC publishes a thematic comic series entitled “The 18 Changes of Macao” on the daily or weekly Chinese, English and Portuguese newspapers every Wednesday and Friday, which aims to illustrate the social and economic changes of Macao over the past 25 years, to enable the public to understand that the official statistics is closely related to everybody’s daily life. Commemorative Publication DSEC has prepared a Commemorative Publication in celebration of its Silver Jubilee, a presentation of the enthusiasm for statistical work, to convey the importance of “Statistics Tells”. For a copy of the Commemorative Publication, please contact Ms. Yu at 8399 5332.
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Seminar on Conserving Water and Combating Salt Tide in Macau and Zhuhai, together with the Prizing-giving Ceremony of the Working Group’s Slogan and Logo Competition is to be held at Macau Cultural Center this Sunday by the Working Group on the Development of a Water Conservation Society of the Macau SAR government. Representatives from Zhuhai Water Bureau and Pearl River Water Resources Commission are expected to attend the seminar. By means of the event, the Working Group hopes to reinforce people’s awareness on water conservation in Macau and Zhuhai so as to combat the salt tide together.
The Working Group has just launched the “Household Water Conservation Rebate Program”, facilitating water conservation in the community. In order to involve small and medium-sized enterprises, as well as other large-scale leisure and entertainment facilities in the water conservation campaign, the Group will offer small and medium-sized enterprises incentives to encourage water conservation, and will meet with the representatives from the large-scale entertainment facilities to further discuss feasible water conservation measures very shortly.
The Working Group appeals to the public and the business sector to take effective measures proactively to save water. The effectiveness of using water can be achieved through reducing unnecessary water use and adopting multiple uses of water. Head of the Working Group, Susana Wong Soi-Man, emphasized that Macau is not going to implement water rationing. The fact is only that the salinity level of drinking water is expected to rise. She said that the people in Macau do not need to be overworried. Meanwhile, she appealed to all the Macau citizens to participate in the water conservation campaign and contribute their part in securing drinking water safety.
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