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Information from the Statistics and Census Service indicated that visitor arrivals in package tours surged by 167.0% year-on-year to 489,023 in June 2010, as visitors in package tours for June last year were still under the adverse effect of the human swine influenza. In comparison with June 2009, visitors from Mainland China (337,558), Hong Kong (23,357), Japan (22,591) and Taiwan, China (22,152) rose substantially by 210.6%, 51.5%, 142.3% and 75.4% respectively, and those from India (12,231) and the Republic of Korea (11,777) also registered notable increase. In the first half year of 2010, visitor arrivals in package tours increased by 34.8% year-on-year to 3,064,939. In June 2010, Macao residents travelling outbound in package tours soared by 81.6% year-on-year to 21,984, with Mainland China (74.1% of total), Japan (7.2%) and Taiwan, China (6.1%) being the most popular tour itineraries. In the first six months of 2010, residents travelling in package tours totalled 110,559, up by 20.6% year-on-year. Meanwhile, outbound residents travelling under own arrangements using services of travel agencies rose by 28.7% year-on-year to 43,001 and the main destinations were Hong Kong (31.9% of total), Mainland China (31.0%) and Taiwan, China (17.0%). In the first half year of 2010, outbound residents travelling under such arrangements increased by 10.5% year-on-year to 217,313. At the end of June 2010, total number of available guest rooms of the hotel sector increased by 1,389 (+7.6%) year-on-year to 19,560 rooms. A total of 603,004 guests checked into hotels and guest-houses in June 2010, up notably by 35.3% year-on-year, with the majority coming from Mainland China (50.4% of total) and Hong Kong (20.6%). The average occupancy rate of hotels and guest-houses rose substantially by 15.2 percentage points year-on-year to 75.7%; average occupancy rate of hotels stood at 76.5%, with 4-star hotels leading at 77.3%. The average length of stay of guests decreased by 0.03 night to 1.5 nights. Number of guests reached 3,800,614 in the first half year of 2010, up by 22.4% over the same period of 2009. In the first six months of 2010, visitor-guests of hotels and guest-houses accounted for 60.9% of the total number of tourists, down from 61.7% in the same period of 2009.
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The Macao Government today donated 50 million Renmenbi for support rescue works in mudslide-stricken Zhouqu county in Gansu. More than 1,110 people are reported killed and some 600 were still missing last weekend. The Chief Executive, Mr Chui Sai On, said all Macao residents were deeply concerned with tragedy and extended their condolence to the victims and their families. He wished them smooth rescue operations and reconstruction.
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To encourage local enterprises to utilise e-commerce during daily business operations, SME Service Center of Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute and Hong Kong Trade Development Council organized the Seminar on “How to Create Quality Company and Brand Image through Online Business Platforms and Exhibitions” on 12 August 2010 at Macao Business Support Center. The objective of the seminar is to facilitate enterprises to promote their products and businesses through online service platform, achieve greater publicity for their products and services, hence create more business opportunities.。 The seminar worked in line with the “E-Commerce Promotion Incentive Measures” launched by Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM), and carried the theme “Building quality enterprise and brand image”. During the first part, Mr. Carven Yiu and Ms Salina Lee, Directors of Mindlinks Training and Consultancy, shared insights on exhibition strategies, attract overseas buyers and gain accesss to merchandising trends. Mr. Angus Wong, Senior Regional Sales Manager of Hong Kong Trade Development Council introduced about the services of hktdc.com, which has been recognised as IPIM’s Accredited E-Commerce Operator in April 2010. He encouraged enterprises to take advantage of online promotional channels and joining exhibitions to search for overseas buyers. A total of 102 participants from local associations and enterprises took part in the seminar, including Mr. Tylor Ian, Acting Senior Manager of Macao Business Support Center of IPIM, Mr. José Tang, Vice Chairman of Board of Directors of Industrial Association of Macau, Mr. Iong Ieng Chun, Vice President of The Macao Small and Medium Enterprises Association, etc.
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Institute for Tourism Studies (IFT) has the honour of inviting culinary expert of the Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Arts Schools to feature again the “Le Cordon Bleu Master Chef Week at IFT” since 2009. Cuisine chef instructor Philippe Guiet will visit Macao to showcase his expertise in “French and French Thai Fusion Cuisine Culinary Art” - the theme of this year’s programme. Le Cordon Bleu, one of the leading schools for teaching classical French cuisine, patisserie and boulangerie, was founded in Paris, France in 1895. Over the last century, Le Cordon Bleu has evolved from a cooking school to an international network of 29 international schools across 5 continents, in the area of culinary arts and hospitality institutes, maintaining at the same time the highest standards of culinary excellence. Born in Vendée, France, Chef Philippe Guiet obtain his Restaurant Management Diploma at the Lycée technique d’hôtellerie Guyenne in Bordeaux. He joined Le Cordon Bleu Ottawa Culinary Arts Institute in 1990 and is currently the school’s Technical Director as well as a Cuisine Instructor. He oversees the culinary curriculum, recipe development and academic evaluation systems. During his visit in Macao, Chef Guiet will demonstrate the culinary concept in French cuisine, adding an interesting twist by using local food in a French style. Also included is the French Thai Fusion Cuisine concept.
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The “E-Commerce Promotion Incentive Measures”, launched by Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM) last year has been a continuous effort to encourage local enterprises to utilise e-commerce for business development and explore e-commerce horizons. To achieve this objective, IPIM has proactively organized a series of seminars and workshops to promote the use of e-commerce in business, including the “Ceremony of Cooperation with ‘E-Commerce Incentives Scheme’ Supporting Partners and Seminar on Exploiting Online Business Markets for SMEs (17 November 2009) and Seminar on “Opportunities Using Online Business – How to Expand Sales Channel” (18 May 2010). SME Service Center will join hands with Hong Kong Trade Development Council to organize a Seminar on “How to Create Quality Company and Brand Image through Online Business Platforms and Exhibitions” on 12 August 2010, 3 p.m. at Macao Business Support Center Multi-function Conference Hall. Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), subsequent to Alibaba Hong Kong Limited and eBay HK), has been recognised as IPIM’s Accredited E-Commerce Operator in April 2010. The Service packages offered by www.hktdc.com are eligible for subsidies application under the E-Commerce Promotion Incentive Measures. “hktdc.com” aims to help enterprises to explore markets through a variety of channels, including organizing exhibitions, issuing product/service promotion magazines and utilizing its 24-hour online business platform to help enterprises to gain access to overseas buyers. With the theme “Building quality enterprise and brand image”, the seminar covers topics on how the services of tdc.com assists SMEs to attract international buyers and merchandisers as well as other supporting services. Invited business consultant will give insights on how to build enterprise and brand image. The seminar will be conducted in Cantonese. Registration is now open to interested parties (especially enterprises from manufacturing sector and original equipment manufacturers). To sign up, please contact Mr. Harvey Ho or Ms. Fanny Leong of SME Service Center (Tel：28728212; Fax: 28 728213；E-mail: smec@ipim.gov.mo)or visit IPIM website: www.ipim.gov.mo.
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that the population of Macao was estimated at 544,600 as at 30 June 2010, up by 2,200 from end-March. In the second quarter of 2010, there were 1,122 live births, down by 5.7% quarter-to-quarter. Gender ratio of the newborn was 105.9, with 577 male babies. Number of mortality cases totalled 446 and the major underlying causes of death were Neoplasms and Diseases of the Circulatory System. Meanwhile, 1 case of fetal mortality was recorded. There were 1,115 cases of Notifiable diseases reported in this quarter, consisting mainly of Enterovirus Infection (356 cases), Influenza (297 cases) and Chickenpox (199 cases). In addition, 717 cases of marriage registration were recorded, down by 17.3% over the first quarter of 2010. In the second quarter of 2010, there were 2,009 Chinese immigrants with One-way Exit Permit moving to Macao, an increase of 1,251 quarter-to-quarter; meanwhile, 324 illegal immigrants were repatriated. Moreover, a total of 847 individuals were authorized to reside in Macao, down by 1,101 quarter-to-quarter. Total number of non-resident workers stood at 72,142 at the end of the second quarter, down by 701 quarter-to-quarter.
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A Macao university team would carry out research on the press and broadcasting laws of neighbouring jurisdictions as a reference for the Government in its review of the current regulations. This was announced today by the Director of the Government Information Bureau, Mr Chan Chi Ping, in his second meeting with members of Macao’s press over the revision of these two laws. The Bureau had met them in early June on the procedures of revisions of the two laws. On 2 July, it invited three universities in Macao with news or communication faculties to submit tenders over the study on press and broadcasting laws and regulations of neighbouring jurisdictions. They were the University of Macau, the Macau University of Science and Technology (MUST), and the University of Saint Joseph. By 23 July, the closing date of the tender, the Bureau had received only one tender, submitted by MUST. After studying the work plan and cost of the tender, the Bureau submitted a proposal to the Chief Executive and the tender was awarded to MUST. According to MUST’s work plan, the study will be led by the Vice Dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Arts, Professor Pan Zhichang, and Assistant Professor Tam Chi Keung. Assistant Professor Sun Zhen of the Faculty of Humanities and Arts and Assistant Professor Shen Yunqiao of the Faculty of Law will be researchers on the team. The study will focus on the comparison of press and communication regulations between the Mainland, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Portugal and Luxemburg, as well as a summary of related policies and legislative techniques in Common Law countries, and a review of the current practice of press and broadcasting laws in Macao. Mr Chan said by studying related laws in different jurisdictions, global trends, the regulations in practice and internet media regulations, the study could provide directional advice on the revision of the two laws. The research, costing 120,000 Patacas, is to be completed in 70 days. Mr Chan said the Government would keep on listening to opinions of the public and the press over the revision and would continue to uphold the principle of the freedom of the press. The revision of the Press Law and Broadcasting Law will be conducted in four phases: 1. Conduct research on press regulations in different jurisdictions by local academic institute and polls for directional advice;
2. Write a draft law based on the findings in phase one;
3. Conduct all-round public consultations on the draft law;
4. Begin the legislation procedure after revising the draft law based on the result of consultation.
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According to statistics released today by the Monetary Authority of Macao, on a monthly basis, money supply M2 resumed its growth in June. As loans grew at a faster pace than deposits, the loan-to-deposit ratio continued to rise. Money supply
Currency in circulation decreased slightly by 0.3% whereas demand deposits increased 3.0%. M1 thus rose 2.5% compared with the previous month. Meanwhile, quasi-monetary liabilities rose 2.9%. The sum of these two items, i.e. M2, increased 2.8% to MOP222.2 billion. On an annual basis, M1 and M2 rose 27.7% and 9.3% respectively. The share of Pataca (MOP) in M2 stood at 27.5%, down 0.2 percentage points over a month ago or 1.0 percentage point from a year earlier. Concurrently, the share of Hong Kong Dollar (HKD) in M2 was 54.9%, up 0.7 percentage points month-to-month or 1.2 percentage points year-on-year. Deposits
Resident deposits grew 2.9% from the previous month to MOP217.1 billion. Of which, MOP deposits, HKD deposits and other foreign currency deposits increased at respective rates of 2.2%, 4.1% and 0.2%. Meanwhile, non-resident deposits dropped 0.7% to MOP70.8 billion and public sector deposits with the banking sector decreased 2.9% to MOP15.1 billion. As a result, total deposits with the banking sector grew 1.7% from the previous month to MOP303.0 billion. The shares of MOP and HKD in total deposits were 22.1% and 47.6% respectively. Loans
Domestic loans to the private sector grew 3.3% in June to MOP112.0 billion. Among which, MOP34.0 billion was MOP-denominated and MOP69.8 billion was denominated in HKD, representing 30.4% and 62.3% of the total respectively. Loans to “trade (wholesale and retail)”, “personal housing loans” and “manufacturing industries” increased quarter-to-quarter at respective rates of 16.5%, 11.4% and 10.8% whereas those to “gaming” and “restaurants, hotels and similar” dropped 12.5% and 12.4% respectively. Meanwhile, external loans increased 2.2% to MOP111.7 billion; of which, loans denominated in MOP and HKD accounted for 0.8% (MOP0.9 billion) and 40.5% (MOP45.3 billion) of the total respectively. Loan-to-deposit ratios
As domestic loans to the private sector rose at a faster pace than resident deposits, the loan-to-deposit ratio for the resident sector at end-June 2010 rose slightly by 0.4 percentage points month-to-month to 48.2%. The ratio for both the resident and non-resident sectors stood at 73.8%, up 0.7 percentage points from the previous month.
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that a total of 778 new companies were incorporated in the second quarter of 2010, up by 18.4% year-on-year; the total value of registered capital surged by 66.9% to MOP136 million. Among these new companies, 300 were operating in Wholesale and Retail, with the registered capital amounting to MOP55 million; meanwhile, 120 were operating in Business Services and 103 in Real Estate. Furthermore, 507 new companies (65.2% of total) were incorporated with registered capital under MOP50,000 and the value of capital (MOP13 million) made up merely 9.7% of the total. Meanwhile, there were 28 new companies incorporated with registered capital of MOP1,000,000 or over, and the value of capital (MOP90 million) accounted for 66.3% of the total. In addition, more than 80% of the new incorporations were limited companies. Capital of the new companies came mainly from Macao (MOP61 million), Mainland China (MOP35 million) and Hong Kong (MOP10 million). In the second quarter of 2010, capital from the 9 provinces of the Pan-Pearl River Delta amounted to MOP4 million, with that from Guangdong province leading at MOP3 million. Analyzed by place of residence of the shareholders, 507 new companies were established solely by Macao shareholders, and 96 were joint ventures between shareholders from Macao and other countries or regions. In the second quarter of 2010, number of companies in dissolution totalled 125 and the value of registered capital amounted to MOP66 million, of which the registered capital of 57 Wholesale and Retail companies in dissolution accounted for 7.7%.
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The Historical Archives of Macao will hold two workshops on Chinese book binding, namely on 14th and 21st of August (Saturday) from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. Participants must be at least ten years old and no previous experience is required. For enrolment, please visit the Historical Archives of Macao on Tap Seac Square (open Mon-Fri, 9:30am-6.30pm; Sat, 1pm-6pm), during the week prior to each workshop (starting 9th and 16th of August, respectively) and pay the workshop fee of MOP$20 (including materials and equipment for the workshop). The number of participants is limited and enrolment will be processed on a first-come-first-served basis. More information on future workshops is available through www.archives.gov.mo. For further details, please contact Historical Archives of Macao at 2859 2919.
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