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Information from the Statistics and Census Service indicates that number of visitor arrivals totalled 1,433,075 in June 2005, which represented a year-on-year increase of 10.2%; visitors from Mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan, China increased 9.4%, 3.3% and 20.3% respectively. Meanwhile, same-day visitors accounted for 52.2% of the total arrivals, at 748,765. The majority of visitors came from Mainland China (56.0% of the total), Hong Kong (28.9%) and Taiwan, China (9.1%). Among the visitors from Mainland China, 402,673 (50.1%) travelled to Macao under the Individual Visit Scheme. In the first half of 2005, visitor arrivals totalled 8,923,323, up 15.4% over the same period of last year. Visitors from Mainland China increased 11.7% to 4,990,582, which accounted for 55.9% of the total, with 2,534,864 arrived in Macao under the Individual Visit Scheme. Besides, visitors from Hong Kong and Taiwan, China shared 29.7% (2,653,743) and 8.3% (744,835) of the total arrivals. Same-day visitors made up 52.6% of the total, at 4,694,145. Analyzed by mode of transport, visitor arrivals by sea went up 6.7% year-on-year to 3,161,442 in the first half of 2005, with 3,078,471 arriving at the Outer Harbour (+6.3%); the majority of these visitors were from Hong Kong (59.3%) and Mainland China (29.7%). Visitor arrivals at the Inner Harbour rose 28.7% to 82,971, within which 68.6% were from Mainland China. In the first six months of 2005, arrivals by land increased 19.3% to 5,248,470, with 4,845,872 arriving through the Border Gate. The majority of these visitors came from Mainland China (77.1%) and Hong Kong (16.1%). Visitors arriving through the Checkpoint of CoTai were 402,598. In addition, arrivals by air were 513,411, up 37.7% compared with the same period of last year, with 507,697 arriving at the Macao International Airport (+39.3%). Visitors from Taiwan, China (69.8%) and Mainland China (15.6%) were the major users of this access.
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The 29th Session of the World Heritage Committee has agreed to inscribe “The Historic Monuments of Macao”, with the official title altered to “The Historic Centre of Macao”, on UNESCO’s prestigious World Heritage List, under the terms of the Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage (“World Heritage Convention”). The announcement was made by the Chairperson of the World Heritage Committee on 15 July at 4:10 pm Macao time, to the applause of all present in the hall and by unanimous agreement. The Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage, which governs the World Heritage List, was adopted at the 17th General Conference of UNESCO in Paris in November 1972, and by 31 March 2005, 180 out of 191 Member States had ratified the international treaty. Currently sitting in Durban, South Africa, the 29th Session of the World Heritage Committee has approved China’s bid, “The Historic Centre of Macao”, following grueling analysis by the Committee and its associated experts. The cultural heritage site will now be officially inscribed on the World Heritage List, raising the number of World Heritage Sites in China to 31. This international recognition will further raise community and visitor awareness, fostering a greater appreciation of heritage in Macao. The 26-member Chinese delegation headed by Zhang Xuezhong, Ambassador and Permanent Delegate of China to UNESCO, Zhang Bai, Deputy Director-General of the National Administration of Cultural Heritage, Fernando Chui, Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, Heidi Ho, President of the Cultural Affairs Bureau, and Stephen Chan, Acting Vice-President of the same organisation, witnessed the historic moment in Durban. “The Historic Centre of Macao” is a living representation of the city’s historic western settlement, comprising architectural legacies interwoven amongst the original urban fabric illustrating the first and most lasting encounter between China and the western world.
The newly-listed World Heritage site incorporates streetscapes and piazzas such as Barra Square, Lilau Square, St. Augustine’s Square, Senado Square, Cathedral Square, St. Dominic’s Square, Company of Jesus Square and Camões Square. These provide the linkage for a succession of over twenty monuments, including A-Ma Temple, Moorish Barracks, Mandarin’s House, St. Lawrence’s Church, St. Joseph’s Seminary and Church, Dom Pedro V Theatre, Sir Robert Ho Tung Library, St. Augustine’s Church, “Leal Senado” Building, Sam Kai Vui Kun Temple, Holy House of Mercy, Cathedral, Lou Kau Mansion, St. Dominic’s Church, Ruins of St. Paul’s, Na Tcha Temple, Section of the Old City Walls, Mount Fortress, St. Anthony’s Church, Casa Garden, the Protestant Cemetery and Guia Fortress (including Guia Chapel and Guia Lighthouse). “The Historic Centre of Macao” correlates to the origins of the city as a trading port and principal gateway between China and the western world. Founded on this stretch of land are western building types, many of which were the first of their kind on Chinese soil: churches, seminaries, fortresses, a university, hospital, theatre, lighthouse and Protestant cemetery. “The Historic Centre of Macao” also comprises examples of traditional Chinese architecture such as residential compounds and temples which co-exist with western-style buildings as part of the same urban fabric. This succession of monuments encapsulates a broad spectrum of architectural legacies, reflecting the multicultural dimension of the historic port which has given Macao its unique East-West identity. Integrated within a historically vibrant environment, the “Historic Centre of Macao” still has a clearly identifiable character, remaining fertile ground for cultural exchange. East and West have met and merged for over four centuries in an atmosphere marked by respect and tolerance, facilitating unique forms of cultural assimilation, from tangible traditions such as building techniques, to intangible aspects of life such as religion and social lifestyle. Since 2003, States Parties to the World Heritage Convention have been limited to submitting a single nomination for the consideration of the World Heritage Committee: the Macao application topped the list for China this year. At last year’s session held in Suzhou, the World Heritage Committee decided that starting in 2006 States Parties may make two nominations each year, one of which must be Natural Heritage. China plans to submit two nominations for consideration next year, for Cultural and Natural Heritage respectively: the Yin Ruins, Anyang, and the Wolong Nature Reserve, Sichuan.
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“The Historic Centre of Macao” has, as of 15th July, been officially listed as UNESCO World Cultural Heritage. To commemorate this event with everybody in Macao, the Cultural Affairs Bureau is holding a “Let’s Celebrate! Macao UNESCO World Heritage” Free Postcard Campaign. Everybody is invited to come to the special booths in Senado Square, Areia Preta Park and Carmo Fair (Taipa) to pick up a commemorative postcard and then send it off for free to their family and friends across the globe. The campaign will run from 9 am on Saturday 16th July to 10 pm on Sunday 16th July. Large amounts of postcards have been prepared in four batches and to give everybody a fair chance to participate there are four starting times for distribution: 9 am and 6 pm on both Saturday and Sunday. Starting at those times, all the available postcards will be handed out until there are none left, so to make sure you receive your postcard, please make sure you get to the booth around one of the distribution start times! Participants can send the postcards to addresses in mainland China and overseas immediately by handing them over to assistants who will paste on commemorative stamps. The Macao Post Office will frank and send them out immediately. This postal service is free of charge until 10 pm on each night. The theme of the commemorative postcards, stamps and post office frank is “Macao: World Heritage”, with designs reflecting Macao’s cultural pluralism and carrying the message ‘Celebrate with us! “The Historic Centre of Macao” is now UNESCO World Cultural Heritage!’ in English, Portuguese and Chinese. At the same time, the Cultural Affairs Bureau will distribute the commemorative postcards to schools, associations and organizations in Macao to let their members and employees join in the campaign and celebrate this significant moment in Macao’s history. For more information, please visit the Cultural Affairs Bureau’s website: www.icm.gov.mo, or telephone 3996699 or 3996666.
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“The Historic Centre of Macao” has now been inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List, making it the 31st World Heritage site in China. On behalf of the Macao SAR Government of the People’s Republic of China, may I thank the distinguished members of the World Heritage Committee for their support and acknowledgement of Macao’s outstanding value. This honour will be treasured by the people of Macao, China and all those who have supported this process. Many parties have been involved in this long, arduous process. It has succeeded thanks to the full support of the central government, and the tremendous endeavours of the Macao SAR Government and citizens. Inclusion in the prestigious UNESCO list will bolster Macao people’s understanding of their role in Chinese and world history and give them a profound sense of pride and ownership in their cultural identity. Heritage sites across the globe reveal the range and depth of cultural manifestations and contributions throughout the history of humankind. Identification of these sites and inscription on the World Heritage List promotes local understanding and fosters greater community awareness of the importance of retracing history and discovering the wisdom of earlier generations. Listing also stimulates growth in tourism and related industries, thereby playing a key role in raising the standard of living and enhancing the local cultural environment. Most significant, however, is the fact that this recognition nurtures an atmosphere of cultural dialogue locally, regionally and internationally, thus paving the way for future social development. Now that “The Historic Centre of Macao” has been inscribed on the World Heritage List, the people of Macao are entrusted with a vital mission: the protection of this heritage for all humankind. Macao will work to develop a full management coordination system based on already well-established planning and conservation measures. Greater ties with the international community and stronger scientific and academic research on heritage-related topics will enhance local know-how and push training forward. The social beneficiation of heritage sites will also be a focus for development, integrating them into an overall programme of sustainable development in Macao. All of these steps depend on tight cooperation between public and private sectors, in which the vigorous participation of Macao people across the board is a critical factor. It is thanks to the local community, as past and present guardians of Macao’s cultural heritage, that our city has become a symbol of tolerance and peaceful coexistence of cultures. As guardians of a part of the UNSCO World Heritage, let us work together to continue cherishing this precious legacy for all humankind.
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It has great and profound significance for the Historic Centre of Macao to be listed as World Cultural Heritage by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), the Chief Executive, Mr Edmund Ho Hau Wah, said today. Mr Ho said this in a message this afternoon after UNESCO announced that Macao’s application for the Historic Centre of Macao to be listed had been successful. “I am very glad to share this honour with everyone across the country and in Macao and on behalf of everyone, I would like to express the deepest gratitude to UNESCO. “Ever since the beginning of the application, the Central Government has fully stand by the Macao Special Administrative Region Government by putting the Historic Centre of Macao as the sole item in this year’s list. “As the application proceeded, advises given by historical relic specialists from the Mainland and overseas have refined and enhanced the application project. All this support is encouraging to the people of Macao. “The Historic Centre of Macao, being a unique gem of Macao, had is a testament to the merging of Chinese and Western cultures on Chinese soil. “The application has raised the awareness of Macao people in the protection of historical monuments and the success is the fruit of our collective effort. We believe that Macao people will love their home more and actively protect and promote our historical heritage,” Mr Ho said. Mr Ho pledged that the SAR Government would continue to protect and promote these precious heritages, which belong to Macao and the whole country, so more people would understand and value Macao’s historical and cultural significance.
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Tourist Price Index (TPI) for the second quarter of 2005 was 107.89, down by 2.10% over the previous quarter. As a result of lower rate in hotel guest rooms and price decrease in watches, indices of Accommodation and Miscellaneous goods fell by 17.42% and 3.28% respectively. On the other hand, new arrivals of summer clothing and footwear pushed the index of Clothing and footwear up by 4.64%. Compared with the second quarter of 2004, TPI rose by 2.60% in this quarter, of which notable increases were recorded in the indices of Accommodation (6.95%), Entertainment and culture (6.51%) and Restaurant service (3.47%). The average TPI for the 4-quarter ended in the second quarter of 2005 surged by 3.85% over the previous period. In the first two quarters of 2005, TPI increased by 3.58% over the same period of 2004. TPI is an indicator used to reflect the price changes of goods and services purchased by visitors, which is compiled based on the consumption pattern of visitors derived from the Visitor Expenditure Survey. TPI covers 8 sections of goods and services, namely Food, alcoholic drinks and tobacco, Clothing and footwear, Accommodation, Restaurant service, Transport and communications, Medicine and personal goods, Entertainment and culture, as well as Miscellaneous goods. Base year of TPI is from July 1999 to June 2000.
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(Macao—14 July 2005) The President of the European Commission, Mr José Manuel Barroso, is to pay a two-day visit to Macao, on 17 July. Mr Barroso and his delegation’s will be in Macao as part of their official visit to China from July 14 to 18 July, at the invitation of the Central Government. While here, they will meet with the Chief Executive, Mr Edmund Ho Hau Wah, the local Portuguese community and tour the popular scenic spots. This is the President’s first visit to China, which would take them to Beijing, Shanghai, Macao and Hong Kong. Members of the delegation includes Mrs Margarida Barroso, the Spokesperson for the European Commission, Mrs Francoíse Le Bail, member of Mr. Fernando Andresen Guimaraes of the Cabinet of President Barroso, the Director of the Directorate General for Trade, Mr João Aguiar Machado, the Head of Office of the European Commission in Hong Kong, Mr Thomas Roe. Mr Barroso was born and grew up in Lisbon, Portugal. At the age of 46, he became Prime Minister of Portugal when he introduced a far-reaching programme of financial and structural reforms for the country’s economy. In 2004, Mr Barroso was approached as a candidate for President of the European Commission and was confirmed as European Commission President in November the same year.
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The principle of ''putting the people's interests first'' implied that the Government would put the interests of all residents of Macao as top priority, the Chief Executive, Mr Edmund Ho Hau Wah, said today. Speaking at the 85th anniversary celebration and commendation ceremony of the Macau Red Cross, Mr Ho said the Government would consider the genuine needs of different communities and individuals when it formulated its policies. Mr Ho said the Government would listen to the majority and also consider the interests of the minority when it implemented its policies. He praised the Macau Red Cross's humanitarian efforts in the past 85 years and gave an assurance that the Government would continue to support all local organisations devoted to humanitarian works.
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After the explosions in London, United Kingdom, the Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO) Headquarters has received a total of 3 local enquires till 6 p.m. today (July 13) and MGTO’s Representation Office in London has not received any enquiry so far. As there is no information indicating any Macau resident is affected by the incident, the MGTO hotlines set up in the Headquarter and London right after the incident will stop accepting enquiry from 8 pm today.
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service indicates that in May 2005, visitor arrivals in package tours totalled 215,340, up 14.0% over May 2004. Visitors from Mainland China (159,604) dropped 1.8% year-on-year; visitors from Taiwan, China (23,044) surged 111.4% and those from Hong Kong (8,707) increased 58.2%. In the first five months of 2005, visitor arrivals in package tours grew 7.6% over the same period of 2004 to 1,043,939. Number of Macao residents travelling in package tours totalled 24,550 in May 2005, a year-on-year increase of 62.4%. Mainland China, Thailand and Taiwan, China were the three more popular tour itineraries, which accounted for 83.9%, 3.8% and 3.5% of the total respectively. In the first five months of 2005, Macao residents travelling in package tours went up 57.9% compared with the same period of 2004. Meanwhile, 24,773 Macao residents travelled under own arrangements with the assistance of travel agencies, an increase of 11.1% over May 2004; Mainland China (32.1%), Taiwan, China (22.9%) and Hong Kong (18.1%) were the major destinations. In the first five months of 2005, Macao residents travelling under such arrangements fell 1.4% compared with the same period of 2004. At the end of May 2005, there were 10,454 rooms available in hotels and similar establishments, an increase of 1,141 rooms (12.3%) over May 2004. In May 2005, a total of 329,184 guests checked into hotels and similar establishments in Macao, an increase of 4.6% over May 2004. The average hotel occupancy rate fell 4.1 percentage points to 67.0% compared with the same month of 2004. The highest occupancy rate was in 3-star hotels, at 76.4%. The average length of stay of hotel guests dropped 0.01 night over May 2004 to 1.18 nights. The majority of the guests came from Mainland China (55.7%), Hong Kong (27.9%) and Taiwan, China (3.3%). In the first five months of 2005, number of hotel guests showed a marginal increase of 0.9% to 1,569,712 over the same period of 2004. In the first five months of 2005, hotel guests (excluding Macao residents) accounted for 41.6% of the total number of tourists, which was lower than the 46.3% recorded in the same period of 2004.
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