News

Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that visitor arrivals in package tours increased by 28.0% year-on-year to 695,762 in April 2012. Visitors from Mainland China (491,337) went up by 20.3%, with 170,164 coming from Guangdong Province; besides, those from Taiwan, China (53,774); Hong Kong (41,672); and the Republic of Korea (23,247) soared by 95.6%, 68.6% and 25.3% respectively. In the first four months of 2012, visitors in package tours totalled 2,746,238, up by 40.7% year-on-year to account for 29.5% of the total visitor arrivals, higher than the 22.3% in the same period of 2011. In view of the Ching Ming Festival and the long Easter holidays, outbound residents in package tours surged by 64.6% year-on-year to 30,647 in April 2012. The most popular tour itineraries were Mainland China (81.7% of total); the Republic of Korea (5.0%); and Taiwan, China (4.1%), with 17,502 travelling to Guangdong Province. In the first four months of 2012, residents travelling in package tours totalled 104,225, up by 41.6% year-on-year. Meanwhile, outbound residents travelling under own arrangements using services of travel agencies increased by 25.8% year-on-year to 58,214 in April 2012; the main destinations were Mainland China (47.1% of total); Hong Kong (23.3%); and Taiwan, China (16.3%). In the first four months of 2012, those travelling under such arrangements surged by 56.9% year-on-year to 271,120. Attributable to the opening of new hotels, number of available guest rooms of the 97 hotels and guest-houses totalled 24,211 at the end of April 2012, an increase of 4,063 rooms (+20.2%) year-on-year, with those of the 5-star hotels accounting for 61.3% of the total. Hotels and guest-houses received 767,679 guests in April 2012, an increase of 13.6% year-on-year; the average length of stay decreased by 0.08 night to 1.4 nights. The average occupancy rate of hotels and guest-houses stood at 82.0%, down by 2.5 percentage points year-on-year; average occupancy rate of the hotels was 82.5%, with 5-star hotels leading at 83.1%. Number of guests increased by 13.6% year-on-year to 2,948,365 in the first four months of 2012; average occupancy rate of hotels and guest-houses stood at 82.9%, up by 1.0 percentage point year-on-year. From January to April 2012, visitor-guests accounted for 64.0% of the total number of overnight visitors, higher than the 61.0% in the same period of 2011.
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To promote Macau's rich cultures and attract more visitors from Europe, Macau Government Tourist Office led a team of lion and dragon dancers and martial art performers to take part in the Volvo Ocean Race and Lisbon's most popular event - the Popular Street Marching Parades. MGTO was one of the port partners of the Lisbon leg in the Volvo Ocean Race, the biggest maritime adventure of modern times and the most complex competition of circumnavigation. Lisbon was one of the stopovers among various legs and the boat fleet departed again from Lisbon on June 10th to Lorient (France), the next-to-last stopover of this nautical adventure. The participation of Macau was highlighted with a stand in the exhibition area, which allowed its visitors to learn about what Macau has to offer as a popular tourist destination and its UNESCO listed World Heritage. Macau also joined various exhibitions held on June 9th and 10th to promote Macau, with the performance by Dragon and Lion Dance and Martial Arts Group from Macau. Macau also marked its presence in one of the most popular events of the Lisbon Festivities 2012, the Popular Street Marching Parades, which once again made its way down Avenida da Liberdade (central avenue in Lisbon), bringing colour, music, arches, balloons and lots of entertainment. Commemorating its 80th anniversary, the Popular Street Marching Parades kicked off at 9pm on June 12th, the Saint Anthony's night. 22 typical Lisbon communities took part in this iconic event of Lisbon's popular culture, with the special participation of the Dragon and Lion Dance and Martial Arts Group of the Macau Lo Liang Athletic Association showcasing Macau's culture to wow the crowds.
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The Chief Executive, Mr Chui Sai On, today met with the Financial Secretary of the Hong Kong SAR, Mr John Tsang Chun-wah, who was in Macao for the Fifth Hong Kong-Macao Co-operation Meeting. At the meeting at Government Headquarters, Mr Chui welcomed Mr Tsang and said he believed that the two SARs could further enhance their partnership in various areas. Mr Chui introduced Macao's recent efforts in regional co-operation, especially its work with Guangdong Province on projects in Hengqin and Nansha. Mr Tsang said, after having visited the Institute of Tourism and learnt more about Macao's tourism industry, that he believed Hong Kong and Macao could further boost their co-operation in tourism. The Fifth Hong Kong-Macao Co-operation Meeting was co-hosted by the Secretary for Economy and Finance, Mr Tam Pak Yuen, and Mr Tsang. They were joined by senior officials from areas of regional co-operation, environmental protection and finance. Mr Tam said since the last meeting both sides had made solid progress in their co-operation in 18 areas, in particular finance, tax, environmental protection, tourism and judicial assistance. They also extended exchanges in cross-jurisdiction infrastructure, civil servants training, immigration and emigration, public health, food safety, culture, sports and intellectual property rights. Mr Tam said he wished both sides could strengthen co-operation in tourism, convention, Chinese medicine, education and creative industries in the future as development in these areas would help the diversification of Macao's industrial portfolio.
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Consumer Council conducted a price check on 12 brands of tissue papers from 24 supermarkets and drugstores on 6th June. Survey result shows that 10 brands recorded price differences of around 10 to 20 percent in different retail outlets. 'Andrex Bathroom Tissue (3 ply) (10pcs)' was sold at $36.60 to $50.00, which differed for $13.00. 'Aus & New 3ply Bathroom Tissue (180gx10pcs) also recorded a price difference of around $9.00 in different retail spots. The Council reminds consumers that surveyed brands sometimes differ due to additional gift and package change, for example, 10-roll tissue papers are sometimes sold with '2 free rolls' as 12-roll package. Consumers are reminded to check the remarks on the survey and make practical price comparisons. The Council also conducted another price check on 7 brands of oral care products from 30 retail outlets on 7th June. Survey result shows that a general price difference of 70 to 80 percent exist in many of the surveyed brands. The most significant price difference was recorded in 'Oral-B Tooth and Gum Care (100ml)', which was sold at $10.90 to $20.0; 'Colgate - Plax Complete Care Mouthwash (500ml)' were sold at $28.00 to $50.00, with a price difference of 78.5 percent. Consumer Council indicates that selling prices of the same product are found to vary in different retail outlets. Consumers are advised to check with the data provided by the Council. The two mentioned specific price surveys on tissue papers and oral care products are now available on the Council's website (www.consumer.gov.mo). For enquiry, please call 8988 9315.
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Owing to the flooding in Victoria of Australia, Macao Post announced that mail delivery services (including Correspondence, Printed Matters, Small Packet, Parcel and EMS) from Macao to Victoria, particularly the areas with postal codes as below are subject to delay until further notice. Postal Code
Victoria:
3875, 3953, 3844, 3854, 3856, 3840, 3858, 3860, 3971, 3847, 3862 and 3851 Thank you for your kind attention.
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"2012 Science Express Camp – A Kickoff of Biomedical Engineering", organized by Macau Society of Biomedical Engineering and IEEE-EMB Hong Kong - Macau Joint Chapter, co-organized by Biomedical Engineering Laboratory of University of Macau and Communications Museum, wraps up this year's series of summer activities. Its objective is to inform students on the development and prospects of Biomedical Engineering in order to broaden their visions of what may prove beneficial to their future studies. The summer camp is targeted to students promoting to Form 4 or above. Grasp this great opportunity and come to register. * please fine the attached file.
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Macao Consumer Council, together with Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, Chongqing, Hong Kong, China Consumer News, and 21 other consumer organizations/councils, announce consumer alerts periodically and work closely on protecting consumers' rights and safety. The 22 consumer organizations remind all consumers to check the racks they use for supporting outdoor air conditioner compressors. Before turning on the air conditioner, the soundness of the supporting rack must be thoroughly checked and any loosened bolts must be fastened. For air conditioners which have been installed for a long period of time, consumers should generally check the supporting rack or replace with a new one after the first five years. The 22 consumer organizations also state that businesses bear the responsibility to provide safe products and good services to consumers and ensure the safety of the supporting racks. Further, Consumer Council reminds consumers to check the soundness of supporting racks and to choose a trusted supplier/engineering company when installing or replacing air conditioners and their racks. It is also important to check whether the installation complies with respective regulations. Consumer Council hotline: 8988 9315.
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Owing to the earthquake in the Italy, Macao Post announced that mail delivery services (including Correspondence, Printed Matters, Small Packet, Parcel and EMS) from Macao to Italy, particularly the areas with postal codes as below are subject to delay until further notice. Area Region - Emilia Romagna City - Bologna, Modena, Forlì, Reggio Emilia and Mantova Postal Code
41034, 41035, 41036, 41037, 41038, 42010, 42015, 42016, 42018, 42042, 42044, 42046 and 42047 Thank you for your kind attention.
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According to statistics released today by the Monetary Authority of Macao, on a monthly basis, broad money supply continued to grow in April. As deposits grew faster than loans, the overall loan-to-deposit ratio of the banking sector dropped from a month earlier.
Money supply
Currency in circulation and demand deposits grew 2.2% and 6.3% respectively. M1 thus increased 5.6% from one month earlier. Concurrently, quasi-monetary liabilities rose 1.4%, pushing M2 to increase by 2.0% to MOP316.7 billion. On an annual basis, M1 and M2 rose 12.4% and 18.3% respectively. The share of Pataca (MOP) in M2 stood at 25.8%, up 0.1 percentage point over a month ago but down 1.1 percentage points from a year earlier. The share of Hong Kong Dollar (HKD) in M2 was 55.1%, up 0.5 percentage points month-to-month and 1.0 percentage point year-on-year.
Deposits
Resident deposits grew 2.0% from the preceding month to MOP309.7 billion. Of which, MOP deposits and HKD deposits increased at respective rates of 2.3% and 2.9% while other foreign currency deposits dropped 1.2%. Concurrently, non-resident deposits grew 2.4% to MOP127.6 billion and public sector deposits with the banking sector increased 6.1% to MOP32.6 billion. As a result, total deposits with the banking sector rose 2.4% from a month earlier to MOP470.0 billion. The shares of MOP and HKD in total deposits were 21.0% and 44.6% respectively.
Loans
Domestic loans to the private sector increased 1.3% on a monthly basis to MOP172.5 billion. Among which, MOP46.3 billion was MOP-denominated and MOP110.2 billion was denominated in HKD, representing 26.8% and 63.9% of the total respectively. On the other hand, external loans rose 0.6% to MOP183.3 billion; of which, loans denominated in MOP and HKD accounted for 0.6% (MOP1.2 billion) and 27.4% (MOP50.3 billion) respectively.
Loan-to-deposit ratios
As resident deposits grew faster than domestic loans to the private sector, the loan-to-deposit ratio for the resident sector at end-April 2012 dropped 0.5 percentage points month-to-month to 50.4%. The ratio for both the resident and non-resident sectors was 75.7%, down 1.1 percentage points from the previous month. For enquiry, please contact:
Research and Statistics Department, Monetary Authority of Macao (Tel: 83952532; Fax: 28353042)
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Consumer Council conducted a price check on 12 brands of beverages. Result shows that selling prices of beverages among retail stores vary significantly; prices of certain brands of bottled water differ for over 200 percent. Consumer Council conducted its specific price survey on 12 brands of beverages from 25 supermarkets and convenience stores on 1st June. Surveyed items include soft drinks, bottled water, beer and other kinds of beverages. Different levels of price differences were recorded for all 12 beverages sold in various retail outlets. 'Cool Distilled Water (750ml)', which was sold at $2.00 to $6.20, recorded a price difference of over 200 percent. 'Watsons Water Pure Distilled (430ml)' and 'Bonaqua Mineralized Water (770ml)' also recorded price differences of around 130 percent. The smallest price difference was recorded in prices of 'Vita Lemon Tea Drink (250mlx6)', which differed for about 28 percent, or $4.70. Survey result shows that selling prices of the same beverage sold in convenience stores are much higher than that in supermarkets and grocery stores. Also, selling prices of the same product are found to vary in different regions under the same supermarket chain stores. Consumers are advised to check with the data provided by the Council on its website (www.consumer.gov.mo) and its 'Supermarket price platform' apps to make price comparisons. The specific price survey on beverages is now available on the Council's website (www.consumer.gov.mo). For enquiry, please call 8988 9315.
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