News

23rd Macau International Fireworks Display Contest, organized by Macau Government Tourist Office, will be held on September 10, 12, 17, 24 and October 1 at the sea area in front of the Macau Tower. Director of MGTO, João Manuel Costa Antunes expressed in the press conference that nine out of the ten teams this year have taken part in the Fireworks Display Contest in Macau before. Among which, a number of them won prizes and the team from Japan is a four-time champion. He is confident that the ten breathtaking fireworks displays will thrill the spectators' senses of sight and sound, creating wonderful memories for citizens and visitors alike. Among the five nights of fireworks display contest, September 12 falls on Mid-Autumn Festival and October 1 is China's National Day. Teams from France and China will deploy their skills on China's National Day to add extra sparkle to the celebrations. Each participating team is requested again this year to complement their display with music to enthrall the audience with a light and sound spectacular. To enhance the enjoyment, the organizer will install sound systems at the waterfront of the Macau Tower Outdoor Plaza, at the Macau Tower Street seaside and at the square in front of Kun Iam Statue on Ave. Dr Sun Yat Sen so that the public can enjoy synchronized music to the spectacular displays. Spectators are able to listen to live music of the fireworks displays through Radio Macau's live broadcast at FM100.7. In past years, world-renowned pyrotechnic companies have participated in the Macau International Fireworks Display Contest. The contest this year features teams from the Canada, Korea, Japan, United Kingdom, Austria, Chinese Taiwan, the Philippines, Portugal, France and China. Among which, the team from Canada will make its Macau debut. A number of the teams participating in the contest this year are veterans of the event. Teams from Japan, China, the Philippines and Korea, who scored the top four prizes last year, will revisit Macau to vie for the contest again. Tamaya Kitahara Fireworks Co. Ltd. from Japan, who possesses unique technique to produce firework shells which are perfectly spherical, is a four-time champion that will gain the applause of the spectators again. Other teams are no pushovers. Brezac Aftifices from France won twice the laurel in its three attempts while the team from Chinese Taiwan won once in its five attempts. Panda Fireworks Group Co. Ltd from China, who won the second prize last year, has also set eye on the champion trophy. Sirius Pyrotechnics from Canada is a new comer to the contest. Performed in the opening and closing ceremonies of the Winter Olympics 2010 in Canada last year, Sirius Pyrotechnics is a famous fireworks company that specializes in large scale pyrotechnic production. This year MGTO will continue to join hands with Companhia de Telecomunicações de Macau S.A.R.L. (CTM) to launch "SMS Game" to promote citizen participation in the event. MGTO will spare no effort to bring about the world's most prominent international fireworks display to visitors and at the same time, will promote the fireworks display contest through various international, regional and local media channels, including advertisements on international media in neighboring region and travel magazines as well as distribute posters and leaflets. MGTO and the General Union of Neighbors Association of Macau will again jointly present the Fireworks Carnival to add more fun and colors to the fireworks display nights to reinforce the image of Macau as a destination. In order to capture the spectacular moments of the fireworks display contest, photo and drawing competitions will be held again this year. 23rd Macau International Fireworks Display Contest Photo Competition and 23rd Macau International Fireworks Display Contest Drawing Competition will invite entries soon. The winners of the two competitions will be entitled to premiums and trophies.
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The second phase of the Macao Creative Pavilion is now underway, scheduled to run from July 5th through September 30th on the first floor of the Tourism and Culture Activity Centre (the 'yellow house' on Company of Jesus Square, in front of the Ruins of St. Paul's). The Cultural Affairs Bureau, organiser of the project, is using this second phase to add cultural elements such as performing arts, animation and handicrafts to the current offering in the Pavilion, highlighting the ongoing development and diversification of Macao's cultural and creative industries and achieving a more comprehensive display of 'Macao Design, Macao Creativity'. The Macao Creative Pavilion generated an enthusiastic response in its inaugural phase, presenting quality displays and enjoying strong sales. Total sales during the Pavilion's first phase reached MOP 298,000 with average monthly sales of around MOP 100,000. To encourage a greater number of cultural and creative entities to participate in the display and sales activities at the Macao Creative Pavilion, the Cultural Affairs Bureau made a selection of 36 outstanding local businesses and associations from among the profiles collected in the Database for the Cultural and Creative Industries (DBCCI), inviting them to participate in the project's second phase. The exhibitors include: the Art For All Society, the Printmaking Research Centre of Macao, Glassnine Art co ltd., Review Culture Co. Ltd., Bruno Design, Shadow Simple Life, Unicam, Imparadise's Handmade, J's Handmade Station, Phoenix Skyscape Publisher, Associação de Ciências Humanas de Macau (Macao Association of Human Sciences), Ma Kao Sec (Macau) Publicação Limitada (Ma Kao Sec (Macau) Publishing Ltd.), the Macao Electronic Music Association, Vocanimals Music Co. Ltd., Smith's Creation, AO2 Handbag Design Shop, Gutierrez, Silver One's, Estudio de Animação Infinito Sociedade Unipessoal Lda. (Inifinity Animation Studios Co. Ltd.), Bordo Caricature Club, Comic's Kingdom, Force Publicações Sociedade Unipessoal Limitada (Force Publications Co. Ltd), Morpheus Animation Studios Co. Ltd., 10 Fantasia, Teatro Horizonte (MACAU) (the Macao Horizon Theatre), Associação de Arte e Cultura - Comuna de Pedra (Stone Commune Arts and Culture Association), Step Out, Point View Art Association, Little Mountain Arts Association, the Macao Taoist Orchestra Association, the Macao Pianists Association, Godot Art Association, Association of Macau Street Dance, The Dancer Studio Macao, Long Fung Drama Club and Theatre Farmers. The public is invited to visit the Pavilion and appreciate locally designed products, publications and performances and purchase attractive cultural and creative products. The Macao Creative Pavilion is located on the first floor of the Tourism and Culture Activity Centre (the yellow house on Company of Jesus Square, in front of the Ruins of St. Paul's). Opening hours for the Second Phase (July 5th to September 30th) are 9am – 8pm daily, public holidays included.
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Macao would continue to work with Inner Mongolia to promote trade and tourism between the two places, the Chief Executive, Mr Chui Sai On, said today. Speaking to the press on the last day of a four-day visit, Mr Chui said the trip was satisfactory and enabled him to learn more about the recent development of the northern autonomous region. He said Macao and Inner Mongolia had been co-operating in trade and tourism since 2002, in particular Macao's Institute for Tourism Studies, a public tertiary education college, had been providing a series of personnel training courses for Inner Mongolia hotels. He said Macao would continue to provide training for Inner Mongolia's hospitality industry, study the feasibility of direct flights, and help promote the region's products in Lusophone countries. Asked by reporters about the development of Hengqin, an island adjacent to Macao, Mr Chui said Macao, Guangdong and related Central Government authorities had been studying the details of taxation and customs systems. The Chief-of-Cabinet of the Office of the Chief Executive, Mr Tam Chon Weng, who was with the delegation, told reporters that the Chief Executive and leading officials of Guangdong would soon announce some preferential policies and measures to attract Macao businessmen to invest in Hengqin. Mr Chui and his delegation left Inner Mongolia for Macao in the afternoon.
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The Cultural Affairs Bureau has launched the iPhone App "WH Macau". The application enriches the experience of "Strolling through the Historic Centre of Macao" by providing residents and tourists, wherever they are, with the latest information and developments regarding the World Heritage-listed sites via a clear and practical interface. The "WH Macau" app includes an introduction to Macao World Heritage, real-time multimedia information on tourist attractions and an interactive interface. Using GPS (Global Positioning System) for guidance, the app "accompanies" citizens and tourists as they stroll through the Historic Centre of Macao, giving convenient and relevant information on scenic spots, such as distance, directions, profiles, opening hours and addresses. Users can share their travels with friends around the globe on Facebook via the "Share" function embedded in the app. Moreover, users can view 360-degree virtual-reality pictures and video clips about the Historic Centre of Macao -- Cultural World Heritage on their mobile phones from anywhere in the world. This app stores numerous useful and emergency contact numbers to facilitate enquiries and assistance. The interface and content is available in traditional Chinese, simplified Chinese, English and Portuguese. Residents and tourists can download the app for free from the App Store by searching "WH Macau" or "Macao World Heritage". Alternatively, the App may be downloaded on www.macauheritage.net. For any enquiries, please call us at 8399 6699 during office hours or email us at webmaster@icm.gov.mo.
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The Government has proposed a by-law to stop collecting 19 patacas from each passenger departing Macao by ferry, the Executive Council announced today. In 1991, the Macao authority announced decree-law 56/91/M to collect the fee from every passenger using outgoing transportation means, to fund the maintenance and upgrade of transportation infrastructure. Another decree-law announced in 1999, 61/99/M, required passengers leaving Macao by sea to pay 19 patacas each. This is included in the ferry ticket and collected on the government's behalf by ferry companies. In a press conference today, the Executive Council announced that the Government would issue a by-law to abolish these two decree-laws and cease collecting such fees, due to the increasing public income from other sources and Macao's positioning as a tourist destination. The abolition of ferry departure fee and thus reduction in the price of ferry tickets would help boost Macao's attractiveness to tourists, the Executive Council said. The by-law will come into effect when it is published in the Macao SAR Gazette.
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Since the law on "Prohibition of Providing Illegal Accommodation" took effect on August 13 2010, the Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO) has sealed a total of 149 premises suspected to provide accommodation illegally. One managing staff and one tout were seized. Inspections involved investigations to a total of 708 occupants of premises suspected to provide accommodation illegally, including 36 overstayers and 29 illegal immigrants, whose cases are being follow up by police authorities. Macau Government Tourist Office has waged a total of 149 sanctions and 35 operators who provided accommodation illegally were fined 200 000 patacas each according to the law on "Prohibition of Providing Illegal Accommodation". To date, two operators have voluntarily paid the fine of 200 000 patacas within the statutory period. At the same time, 23 occupants who failed to fulfill their duty of cooperation were fined 3,000 patacas each, among which 12 have already paid the fine. For those who failed to pay the fine within the statutory period, MGTO has notified the Financial Services Bureau to enforce the collection of fine and informed PSP to deny reentry of the involved persons into Macau if they are non-residents. MGTO, together with PSP, will carry on operation to crack down illegal accommodation. Staff of Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO) continues to check the premises to ensure they remain sealed and supply of water and electricity suspended. MGTO stressed that damaging the seal and resuming supply of water and electricity is a criminal offence which will be submitted to judicial entity for follow up. The public can report suspected premises by calling the 24-hour hotline 2833 3000 or using the online report service launched in April by MGTO. Complainant can log on to MGTO's website (Chinese/English) http://www.macautourism.gov.mo and click the banner of "Online Complaint against Illegal Accommodation" to file a report. To further facilitate reporting by the public, MGTO has produced key chains printed with the hotline and website to be distributed by the General Union of Neighbor Association of Macau.
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Consumer Council's latest specific price survey report on tissue and toilet papers has been released. In comparison with data of the same period in last month, most surveyed brands recorded no change or slight decrease in average price this month. Average prices of most brands have been quite stable since this April. The Council conducted the survey on 29th July, surveying 13 samples of tissue and toilet papers from 25 local retail outlets. In comparison with last month's data, 7 surveyed samples showed no change in price, or had decreased slightly in price from around 2.5% to 12.8%. Others recorded slight increase in average price, ranging from 0.3% to 23.4% due to changes in package. Further, the price difference of the same brand sold in different retail outlets observed this time is has shrink from 39% last month to 28% this month. Consumers may visit the Council's website (www.consumer.gov.mo) to use its online price search function; both "Supermarket Price Information Platform" and "Specific Product Price Information Platform" make checking prices of various commodities an easy job. The specific price survey report on tissue and toilet papers is now available online on the Council's official website. For enquiries, please call 8988 9315.
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The Chief Executive, Mr Chui Sai On, today met the Secretary of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region CPC Committee, Mr Hu Chunhua, at the start of a four-day visit to the autonomous region in northern China. In the meeting, Mr Hu said that despite possessing enormous resources and an expanding economy, Inner Mongolia still had to open up and it could make use of Macao's role as a platform for Portuguese-speaking countries and other places. Mr Hu also thanked the Macao Foundation for donating 30 million RMB for the construction of a library in Inner Mongolia. The Chief Executive said Macao and Inner Mongolia had been co-operating in various areas for a long time, such as in tourism and trade. Since Macao could act as a business platform for Portuguese-speaking countries, Macao and Inner Mongolia could visit the Lusophone countries together and explore their markets in the future, Mr Chui said. Macao could host a trade event in Inner Mongolia next year to promote trade and in particular, tourism, and other means of co-operation, and to set up a direct flight route in the future. Mr Chui and his official delegation also visited the Inner Mongolia Museum, Dazhao Temple, and the production line of Yili Group, a milk producer. He also attended the donation ceremony by the Macao Foundation and an agreement signing ceremony between Macao entrepreneurs and their Inner Mongolia counterparts. Mr Chui left Macao this morning for this four-day visit, at the invitation of the People's Government of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that the average daily wage of construction workers decreased by 10.0% quarter-to-quarter to MOP547 in the second quarter of 2011. The average daily wage of skilled & semi-skilled workers (MOP562) dropped by 10.1%, while that of unskilled workers (MOP356) increased by 1.1%. Analyzed by occupations, average daily wage of electricians & electrical workers (MOP555) and structural iron erectors (MOP604) decreased by 24.5% and 11.0% respectively over the previous quarter; however, wages of plumbers (MOP616) and concrete formwork carpenters (MOP609) increased by 3.5% and 2.7% respectively. After discounting the effect of inflation, wage index of construction workers was 90.6 in real terms in the second quarter of 2011, down by 7.1% quarter-to-quarter. As regards construction materials, price increase of steel decelerated, with the average price of spiral & round reinforcing steel bars rising slightly by 0.7% quarter-to-quarter to MOP5,821 per tonne; moreover, the average price of concrete increased by 8.4% to MOP348 per cubic metre. In the second quarter of 2011, price index of construction materials for residential buildings rose by 0.4% quarter-to-quarter to 156.7; in particular, price indices of steel and concrete increased by 1.1% and 8.4% respectively, while indices of timber and electric wires decreased by 0.1% and 6.8%. Compared with the same quarter of 2010, price index of construction materials for residential buildings registered an increase of 13.3%.
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2011 Guangdong & Macao Branded Products Fair (2011 GMBPF) concluded successfully today. The four-day event attracted a total of over 110,000 attendance by 5pm today and the sales volume of this year reached MOP39.74 million. In addition, the Organisers successfully held 1 forum and 1 seminar on different topics, and 10 seminars and presentations, and concluded 237 projects in the business matching sessions for Guangdong and Macao branded products and 13 cooperation projects in different aspects. 2011 GMBPF concludes 13 cooperation projects
The 2011 GMBPE concluded the signing of 13 cooperation projects (an increase of 30% year on year), including 4 protocols, 7 letters of intent, and 2 contracts between participants from various countries and regions. Of these signatories, corporations from the Chinese Mainland accounted for 50% (with Guangzhou 27%, Jiangmen 18%, Zhongshan 18%, Huizhou 9%, Foshan 9%, other provinces and cities 18%), Macao 41%, Hong Kong 4.5%, and Singapore and Finland 4.5%. The cooperation projects mainly covers the following areas: the construction of Macao's cross-sea bridge, supplies of cultural, educational and sports products, manufacturing of recycled paper, and sales of seasoning materials, etc. 2011 GMBPF concludes a number of projects in business matching and trade talks The Organisers received a total of 237 projects for business matching for branded products from Macao and Guangdong. During the event, a total of 771 business matching and trade talks were organised, an increase of 25% compared to that of last year. Among them, 495 business matching and trade talks or 64.2% were conducted between Macao and Guangdong corporations, an increase of 24% year on year; 91 or 11.8% were conducted between Macao corporations, an increase of 32% year on year; 135 or 17.5% were conducted between Guandong corporations, an increase of 22% year on year; and 50 or 6.5% were conducted between Macao, Guangdong and overseas corporations, an increase of 28% year on year. The participants of the business matching and trade talks mainly consist of corporations from Macao, Guangdong province (including Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Shantou, Shunde, Foshan, Shaoguan, Heyuan, Meizhou, Huizhou, Zhongshan, Jiangmen, Yangjiang, etc) and Hong Kong. The projects discussed involve food, supermarket supplies products, consumer goods, daily necessities, electronic products and domestic appliances, hotel supplies products, clothing and accessories, toys and children products, etc. Cultural and Creative Industries Forum & Seminar for Promoting Brands in the International Marketing seek to strengthen cooperation between Macao and Guangdong corporations
On the first two days of 2011 GMBPF, the Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM) and the Department of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation of Guangdong Province jointly organised the"2011 Guangdong & Macao Cultural and Creative Industries Development and Cooperation Forum" and "Seminar for Promoting Brands in the International Marketing", in hopes of further strengthening cooperation between the two regions, making full use of the manpower, and enhancing the influence of cultural and creative industries via the forum. The seminar is expected to deepen the communications between the business chambers and associations of branded products from both Guangdong and Macao, as well as exchanges between the corporations from the two regions, thereby strengthening cooperation in the development of branded products and exploration of more business opportunities. Furthermore, 10 seminars and presentations were held in the four-day event, which cover the areas of drink products, crystal, embroidery, Chinese tea ceremony, healthcare food, mobile banking services, etc. Organisers actively promote and boost carnival atmosphere
Prior to the opening of the fair, the Organisers carried out extensive promotional activities and campaigns via different channels, such as media report, advertisement and website publication in order to enable the event to reach a broader range of audience, including the local residents and tourists. By 5pm today, the 2011 GMBPF received a total number of over 110,000 visitors in the four days and the business turnover reached MOP39.74 million. To attract more residents and tourists, the Organisers specially arranged a few cultural and arts performances during the fair. The performers are invited from Macao, Hong Kong and Guangdong and the contents cover dance and singing, magic shows, and music performance. In addition, the lucky draw activities were available at the fair, with 129 winners awarded numerous prizes. The results of the lucky draw will be published on the Macao Daily News and the official website of 2011 GMBPF (http://www.guangdongmacaofair.com) on 2nd August, 2011. A "never-ending" platform to promote GMBPF
To disseminate the influence of 2011 GMBPF on a long-term basis, the Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute will upload all information and photos related to the exhibitors and exhibits on IPIM's website (http://www.ipim.gov.mo/) after the conclusion of the event so as to provide a "never-ending" virtual publicity platform for the Guangdong and Macao branded products. 2011 GMBPF deepens economic and trade cooperation between Guangdong and Macao
The 2011 GMBPF is a grand event jointly organised by the Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute and the Department of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation of Guangdong Province and coordinated by the Macau Fair & Trade Association, which aims to make full use of Macao's role as an exhibition platform and Guangdong's role as a manufacturing base to showcase the branded products of the two regions and enhance the reputation of their products and the two regions via the business matching sessions and trade talks. Hence, the event is of special significance to building a platform for economic and trade cooperation between the two regions and deepening their cooperation in economy and trade. The 2012 Guangdong & Macao Branded Products Fair is scheduled from 26th to 29th July, 2012. Through the platform of GMBPF, the Organisers will strive to actively strengthen the economic and trade cooperation between Macao and Guangdong, disseminate and promote the brands and products from the two regions, thereby creating more business opportunities for the corporations from the two regions.
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