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A Direcção dos Serviços de Estatística e Censos com base nos resultados do Inquérito ao Emprego, divulga as seguintes informações: a taxa de desemprego entre Junho e Agosto de 2011 foi de 2,6% e a taxa de subemprego alcançou 0,9%, isto é, caíram 0,1 e 0,2 pontos percentuais, respectivamente, face ao período anterior (Maio a Julho de 2011). No período de Junho a Agosto de 2011 a população activa totalizou 344 milhares de pessoas e a taxa de actividade correspondeu a 72,7%, expandiu-se 0,9 pontos percentuais em relação ao período transacto (Maio a Julho de 2011). A população empregada atingiu 335 milhares de indivíduos, aumentaram cerca de 3.700 pessoas comparativamente ao período precedente (Maio a Julho de 2011). Analisando por ramos de actividade, verificou-se que a população empregada no comércio por grosso e a retalho e nas actividades culturais e recreativas, lotarias e outros serviços cresceu, mas a empregada nas actividades imobiliárias e serviços prestados às empresas diminuiu. A população desempregada situou-se, no período de referência, nos 9 milhares de indivíduos, sendo semelhante à observada no período passado (Maio a Julho de 2011). O número de desempregados à procura do primeiro emprego representou 15,3% do total da população desempregada, ou seja, aumentou 3,0 pontos percentuais em relação ao período anterior (Maio a Julho de 2011). As taxas de desemprego e de subemprego desceram 0,3 e 0,6 pontos percentuais, respectivamente, em comparação com o período de Junho a Agosto de 2010, enquanto que a taxa de actividade subiu 1,3 pontos percentuais.
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Tomorrow is World Tourism Day, Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture Cheong U will officiate the Opening Ceremony of the Macau Tourism and Cultural Activities Centre (CATC) which will provide multi-functional services and, at the same time, further enrich tourism resources of Macau. At night, Secretary Cheong will attend World Tourism Day Dinner. The concept of World Tourism Day initiated in the 3rd session of UNWTO General Assembly in Spain. Since 1980, world is annually celebrating Tourism Day on September 27th. The purpose of this day is to raise awareness on the role of tourism within the international community. This year is the 32nd anniversary of World Tourism Day and the theme is "Tourism – Linking Cultures", a celebration of tourism's role in linking together the cultures of the world through travel. Director of MGTO, João Manuel Costa Antunes and Deputy Directors Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes and Manuel Pires will present welcome gifts to lucky tourists at the Macau Ferry Terminal in the morning. The traditional Tray Race will be held in the afternoon, where waiters and waitresses from local hotels and restaurants will run down the stoned-path from the Ruins of St Paul's to Senado Square carrying a tray with a bottle of beer on it
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service indicated that a total of 1,648 restaurants & similar establishments, as well as cooked-food stalls in markets were in operation in 2010, an increase of 33 compared with 2009, comprising 1,586 restaurants & similar establishments and 62 cooked-food stalls. Total number of persons engaged was 22,172 in 2010, up by 12.3% (+2,434) year-on-year. Sales & Other Receipts of the sector increased by 15.0% over 2009 to MOP 5.51 billion and Total Expenditure rose by 16.7% to MOP 5.17 billion. In addition, Gross Value Added that measures the sectoral contribution to the economy amounted to MOP 2.16 billion, up by 14.0% year-on-year; Gross Fixed Capital Formation went down by 13.2% to MOP 217 million. There were 1,586 restaurants & similar establishments operating in 2010, up by 16 year-on-year; number of persons engaged increased by 12.2% to 22,055. Sales & Other Receipts amounted to MOP 5.49 billion, up by 14.9% over 2009, Sales & Other Receipts of 1,252 eating places (MOP 3.41 billion) accounted for 62.1% of the total and those of restaurants (MOP 1.77 billion) took up 32.3%. Total Expenditure of restaurants & similar establishments amounted to MOP 5.16 billion, up by 16.7% year-on-year, with that of eating places (MOP 3.17 billion) accounting for 61.4% of the total. Analyzed by item, Purchase of Goods (MOP 2.09 billion), Compensation of Employees (MOP 1.81 billion) and Operating Expenses (MOP 1.26 billion) increased by 17.3%, 18.4% and 13.3% respectively. Gross Value Added rose by 13.9% year-on-year to MOP 2.15 billion; however, Gross Fixed Capital Formation decreased by 13.2% to MOP 217 million. Total number of cooked-food stalls in markets surged to 62 in 2010, an increase of 17 from 2009 upon operation of those in the S. Lourenço market. Number of persons engaged totalled 117 and only 8 were paid employees. Receipts and Expenditure of the cooked-food stalls amounted to MOP 20.18 million and MOP 11.77 million respectively, up by 39.0% and 34.3% year-on-year. Gross Value Added soared by 57.9% to MOP 9.16 million. Coverage of the Restaurants & Similar Establishments Survey includes licensed restaurants, eating & drinking places, and cooked-food stalls in municipal markets in 2010, excluding hotel-operated restaurants and similar facilities, as well as street hawkers.
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The opening ceremony of the exhibition For the People – Sun Yat-sen and Macao took place at 5pm on Friday, the 23rd of September, at the Macao Museum. Presiding over the opening ceremony was the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture of the Macao S.A.R. Cheong U, in the company of the Deputy Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Macao S.A.R. Mao Siwei, the Director of the Liaison Office Culture and Education Department Liu Weining, the President of the Cultural Affairs Bureau Ung Vai Meng, the granddaughter of Dr. Sun Yat-sen Lily Sun, the Committee Member of the Cultural Consultative Committee Lei Pang Chu, the President of the General Union of the Neighbourhood Associations of Macau Leung Heng Teng and the The President of the Chinese Educators Association of Macau Lei Pui Lam. Organised by the Macao Museum, under the auspices of the Cultural Affairs Bureau, the exhibition showcases nearly 235 precious and original cultural artefacts, gathered from amongst various museums and individual collectors in Macao and several Mainland Chinese cities. The objects reveal the close connection that exists between Dr. Sun Yat-sen and Macao, and some of the rarer items are being displayed in public for the very first time. With the Xinhai Revolution serving as the historical backdrop, the exhibition is divided into four themes: 'Macao, a port for setting sail to a great life', 'Macao, a cradle for nurturing revolution', 'Macao, a warm place to entrust to family love' and 'Macao, a small city bound closely with the pioneer'. Given its special political environment, Macao contributed in a unique manner to the Xinhai Revolution, the centennial of which is being celebrated this year. Macao, which once served as a shelter for the revolutionaries, has close ties with Dr. Sun Yat-sen. Exhibits will be displayed by means of relic displays and multi-media devices offering both images and videos. With this exhibition, the Organiser hopes to shed light on the important role Macao played during the Revolution. Through the display of images and written documents, exhibition-goers will be able to better understand the historical significance of the Revolution and Macao's contribution to it. The exhibition also seeks to expose the strong, deep roots that Dr. Sun Yat-sen and his family put down Macao, explaining his eternal presence here and the fond memories Macao people hold for Dr. Sun Yat-sen to this day. In solemn commemoration of the Centennial of the Xinhai Revolution, the Cultural Affairs Bureau and various departments under its auspices have collaborated on a series of activities, all of which will be held in the Macao Museum Auditorium: 'Allegiance of Revolutionaries: Seminar commemorating the 100th anniversary of the 1911 Revolution' on 24th September from 9:30am to 5:30pm; 'The Macanese Community and the 1911 Revolution' by Dr. Li Changsen on 29th October; and 'Newspaper Industry in Macao around the 1911 Revolution' by Dr. Lam Iok Fong on 12th November. The exhibition will run from 24th September to 11th December, open to the public Tuesdays to Sundays (public holidays included) from 10am to 6pm (doors close at 5.30pm). For more information regarding the exhibition, please call (853) 2835 7911 during office hours or visit the Macao Museum website at www.macaumuseum.gov.mo. For more information regarding the commemorative activities held in conjunction with the Centennial of the Xinhai Revolution, please visit the Cultural Affairs Bureau website at www.icm.gov.mo.
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The 'Macau Slow Food Awards 2011' will be held by IFT Tourism Event Management Year 2 students, on the 24th of November 2011 at the IFT Amphitheatre. We are inviting applications from restaurants' and pastry shops' now. Aiming at rewarding food & beverage outlets operating according to the philosophy of slow food culture and promoting the slow food culture and its advantages, this event is going to award the nominated restaurants with Gold, Silver and Bronze trophies in the following categories: "Best Western Restaurant", "Best Asian Restaurant", "Best Chinese Restaurant", "Best Pastry Shop". In addition to the trophy and certificate, awards winners will also be graciously invited to the 'Macau Slow Food Gala Dinner 2011'. Important guests and professionals from the government and tourism as well as hospitality industry will be attending the event. Meanwhile, all profits generated by this event will be donated to "Caritas Macau" after costs deduction. The organiser encourages restaurants and pastry shops to actively participate in the award so as to contribute to the spread of Slow Food culture and to charity and also seize a unique opportunity to showcase their restaurants/companies to a captive audience who may become their potential long-term and repeat guests. The presence of the restaurants/companies there will be promoted on the Facebook page of the organiser and media will be invited to cover the events on the day of the award. The due date for the application is 10th of October, 2011. Should there be any inquiries, please do not hesitate to contact Ms. Lau (6229 8890), Ms. Lon (6625 4072) and Mr. Cheang (6203 2656); or e-mail to macauslowfood2011@live.com.
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Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO) will publish the rates of different hotel and guesthouse room categories during October 1 People's Republic of China National Day holiday, to make consultation easier for residents and visitors. During May 1 Labor Day holiday this year, MGTO published for the first time the rates of different hotel room categories reported by the trade ahead of the holiday. The move was well received and MGTO decided to continue with the procedure during October China National Day holiday, to increase transparency and help consumers to make a more informed choice. Starting from September 24, MGTO will publish on its website the room rates submitted by the hotel industry referring to the period from September 26 to October 9. MGTO has already notified Consumer Council and travel agents association about the procedure. Guests can check hotel information and the published room rates at MGTO website (http://www.macautourism.gov.mo) or call Tourism Hotline 28333000 to file complaint. To facilitate investigation, complainants should state clearly information such as the date of check in, hotel name, room category and/or room number, booking voucher and receipt. MGTO expressed that for guests who reserve rooms directly with the hotels, the price cannot exceed the limit of the rates published, but if bookings are done through any other channel, namely travel agencies overseas or on-line reservation services, the room rates published on the website can only be taken as reference. According to the current regulation, each hotel needs to inform MGTO of any revised room rates. The rate of a rented room should not be higher than the registered one and MGTO will conduct investigation upon receiving complaint.
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The delegation of Macao SAR attended the peer review meeting held from 19 to 23 September in Paris, France, as invited by the OECD Global Forum on Transparency and Exchange of Information for Tax Purpose. The delegation introduced in the meeting the work that Macao SAR had done in recent years regarding the promotion of transparency and exchange of information for tax purposes, and provided detailed answers to inquiries raised by the peer review panel. At the end, the review panel members unanimously agreed that Macao SAR had the relevant legal and regulatory framework in place that could ensure the effective implementation of tax information exchange, and that Macao SAR complied with the internationally agreed standards. The panel would therefore proposed the Global Forum to officially adopted the Phase I Peer Review Report for Macao SAR in the general meeting of the Global Forum to be held from 25 to 26 October in Paris, France. The Phase I Review was mainly about the legal and regulatory framework regarding information exchange, and it covered areas in Commercial Code, Commercial Registry Code, Civil Code, Offshore Business Act, anti-money laundering regulations and guidelines, tax laws, Financial System Act, as well as Information Exchange Act. It also covered the various tax agreements that Macao SAR had concluded with other jurisdictions. The passage of the review report would mark a cornerstone in Macao SAR's work of promoting transparency in tax matters. Macao SAR would study and follow up the suggestions for improvement made in the report, and would continue its efforts to conclude more tax agreements with different countries and regions in order to fulfill its international obligation as the Forum's member. Macao SAR has, so far, concluded Tax Information Exchange Agreements (TIEAs) or Double Taxation Conventions (DTCs) that comply with the latest internationally agreed standards with 12 different countries or regions. The SAR has also initially signed TIEAs with India, Malta, and Jamaica respectively. In addition, it is now actively negotiating TIEAs with Ireland, New Zealand, Germany and Argentina. Besides, a new round of working level meeting with Vietnam and Hong Kong SAR on DTC negotiation is expected to be held later this year.
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service indicated that total visitor arrivals for August 2011 marked a new record of 2,698,003 during the Summer holidays, up 14.4% over 2010. Same-day visitors (1,411,916) accounted for 52.3% of total visitor arrivals, with 838,919 coming from Mainland China. Analyzed by place of residence, visitors from Mainland China surged by 24.3% year-on-year to 1,571,015 (58.2% of total), mostly coming from Guangdong Province (820,743), Fujian Province (92,976) and Zhejiang Province (61,218); while those travelling to Macao under the Individual Visit Scheme totalled 698,625, up by 18.4% year-on-year. Visitors from Taiwan, China (116,152); the Republic of Korea (45,132) and Japan (38,853) increased by 0.3%, 25.1% and 4.4% respectively; besides, visitors from Indonesia (25,620) also registered remarkable growth. However, those from Hong Kong (754,636) decreased slightly by 0.5%. Total visitor arrivals reached 18,495,526 in the first eight months of 2011, up by 10.4% year-on-year. Visitors from Mainland China (10,506,574), Hong Kong (5,195,219) and the Republic of Korea (275,853) went up by 17.9%, 3.7% and 25.5% respectively, while those from Taiwan, China (842,695) and Japan (247,601) dropped by 5.3% and 8.8% respectively. In the first eight months of 2011, same-day visitors accounted for 53.7% of the total, at 9,926,390. Analyzed by mode of transport, visitor arrivals by sea totalled 7,350,431 in the first eight months of 2011, up by 6.4% year-on-year. Visitors arriving at the Outer Harbour increased by 9.7% to 4,707,205, with the majority coming from Hong Kong (53.6%) and Mainland China (24.8%); meanwhile, those arriving at the Provisional Ferry Terminal in Taipa decreased by 2.0% to 2,326,674. Visitor arrivals by land went up by 14.7% to 10,028,878 in the first eight months of 2011; those arriving through the Border Gate totalled 9,262,542 and the majority were visitors from Mainland China (81.1%) and Hong Kong (13.1%). Visitor arrivals by air rose by 1.4% year-on-year to 1,116,217. Visitors arriving at the Macao International Airport increased by 1.1% to 1,099,131, with the majority coming from Mainland China (37.5%); Taiwan, China (35.0%); and Malaysia (5.9%).
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The seminar on "Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms: The Right of Privacy and the Right of Personal Data Protection", will take place on September 26th to 30th in the Auditorium of the Legal and Judicial Training Centre, Rua Dr. Pedro José Lobo, n.os 1-3, Banco Luso Internacional building , 18th floor, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.. Organised by the Legal and Judicial Training Centre and integrated as part of the 2nd EU-Macao Co-operation Programme in the Legal Field, this seminar will feature as its keynote speaker Dr. José Alexandre Guimarães de Sousa Pinheiro, Lecturer at the Faculty of Law, University of Lisbon, Portugal. The event will be conducted in Portuguese, with simultaneous translation into Cantonese. During the five daily sessions, which will take place until September 30th, the following topics will be discussed: 1. Session 1:
a. Individual rights and privacy protection;
b. The origins of the right to privacy: The right to privacy in the United States and the role of "Warren and Brandeis";
c. The origins of "data protection" as a German concept.
2. Session 2:
a. Informational and decisional privacy;
b. The major international conventions on privacy;
c. Data protection in international law;
d. Privacy and data protection as human rights.
3. Session 3:
a. Concepts of personal data and processing of personal data;
b. The principles of legitimacy in data protection;
c. The rights to information and the rights to opposition in the area of data protection;
d. The role of courts and administrative entities encompassing activities related to data protection. 4. Session 4:
a. Major contemporary debates on privacy and data protection:
i. Computer users' online privacy protection;
ii. How to deal with social networking?
iii. Liberty vs. Security in the era of terrorism and highly organised crime.
5. Session 5: a. Judicial and administrative decisions in the context of privacy and data protection. Emerging technologies, namely the information technology evolution and the widespread popularity access to the internet, have brought on new perspectives and challenges in the realm of privacy and data protection. This seminar aims at sharing experiences in these areas of great importance. The 2nd Co-operation Programme in the Legal Field between the European Union and Macao, which incorporates this seminar, has as its main objective the "Consolidation of the Macao Legal System" and is going to take place until December 2012. The execution of the Co-operation Programme is coordinated by the Law Reform and International Law Bureau, together with many entities and public departments of the Macao SAR, namely the Legal and Judicial Training Centre, the Legal Affairs Bureau, the Economic Services, the Financial Services Bureau and the Institute of European Studies of Macao.
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Under the auspices of the Cultural Affairs Bureau, the Historical Archives of Macao will organise a one day seminar "Allegiance of Revolutionaries: Seminar Commemorating the 100th Anniversary of the 1911 Revolution" at the auditorium of Macao Museum on this Saturday, 24 September 2011. Specialists from Mainland China, the Macao and Hong Kong S.A.R.s and abroad will address issues including the background to the 1911 Revolution, Macao's role in the preparations for the rebellion, and the subsequent impact of the revolution. A highlight of the seminar will be the presence of the historic figure of Madam Lily Sui Fong Sun, granddaughter of Dr. Sun Yat Sen, who will present the keynote speech. The seminar is moderated by Professor Ho Wai-Kit, Vincent of the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities of the University of Macau and will be conducted in Mandarin and English with simultaneous interpretation. Members of the public are welcome to attend. The 1911 Revolution brought to an end two thousand years of imperial rule and represented the birth of Asia's first republic. Dr. Sun Yat Sen played an instrumental role in inspiring the overthrow of the Qing Dynasty, and was the first provisional president of the Republic of China, founded in 1912. Given Macao's role in the 1911 Revolution, Dr. Sun Yat Sen's connections with Macao and in view of Macao's status as a Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China, this seminar is part of a range of initiatives being organized in the Macao S.A.R. to mark the centenary. Papers on the revolution will be presented in the seminar from 9.30am to 5.30pm with the participation of Qiu Jie, professor of the History Department at Sun Yat-Sen University, who will moderate the morning session, Cheng Wai-Ming, Peter, research coordinator of Jao Tsung-I Pétite École at the University of Hong Kong, Ting Sun Pao, Joseph, professor of the Department of History of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Chan Lai Lin, Lilian, researcher at the Macau Museum of the Cultural Affairs Bureau, Alfredo Gomes Dias, adjunct professor at Lisbon College of Education, Lee Kam Keung, professor of the Department of History at Baptist University of Hong Kong, and Paul Barrie Spooner, lecturer of the History Department at University of Macau. The seminar is divided into two sessions. The first, in the morning, will focus on "Dr. Sun: Relics and Resources" and the second, starting at 3pm in the afternoon, will feature "1911 Revolution: People, Action, and Ideas". Keynote speaker Madam Lily Sun will give her speech in the morning session. The target audience for the seminar will embrace the general public, specialists, and teachers who will thus be encouraged to integrate some of the material into their classes, and take their students to visit the exhibition "For the People – Sun Yat Sen and Macao" which opens to the public in Macao Museum on the same day. All those interested in attending this event are invited to register, either in person at the Historical Archives of Macao, or by fax to 2856 1495. Any extra places may be allocated to walk-in participants on the day. For further details, please call 28592919.
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