News

Information from the Statistics and Census Service indicated that visitor arrivals in package tours increased by 9.7% year-on-year to 458,920 in January 2010. Visitors from Mainland China (328,956), Japan (23,759) and Taiwan, China (22,937) rose by 5.1%, 55.6% and 61.9% year-on-year respectively, while those from Hong Kong (20,638) decreased by 28.4%. As the 2009 Chinese New Year fell in January, number of Macao residents travelling outbound in package tours in January 2010 dropped substantially by 29.2% year-on-year to 12,842, with Mainland China (63.1% of total), Japan (7.3%) and Taiwan, China (7.1%) being the most popular tour itineraries. Meanwhile, outbound residents travelling under individual arrangements using services of travel agencies totalled 28,471, down by 4.5% year-on-year; the main destinations were Mainland China (37.0% of total), Hong Kong (31.1%) and Taiwan, China (13.7%). At the end of January 2010, total number of available guest rooms of the hotel sector increased by 1,548 (+8.8%) year-on-year to 19,086 rooms. Attributable to the improved economic conditions, a total of 664,403 guests checked into hotels and guest-houses in January 2010, up by 26.6% year-on-year, with the majority coming from Mainland China (53.4% of total) and Hong Kong (19.0%). The average occupancy rate of the hotels and guest-houses soared by 16.0 percentage points year-on-year to 81.6% and that of the hotels reached 82.4%, with 4-star hotels leading at 87.8%. The average length of stay of the guests increased by 0.1 night to 1.5 nights. In January 2010, visitor-guests of hotels and guest-houses accounted for 62.7% of the total number of tourists, up from 56.7% in January 2009.
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According to statistics released today by the Monetary Authority of Macao, new SME lending approved by Macao banks increased at a fast pace in the second half of 2009. Concurrently, the utilisation of SME credit in proportion to the credit limit approved by banks witnessed a slight decline. New Lending Approved In the second half of 2009, new SME credit limit approved by Macao banks totaled MOP8.9 billion, 43.7% up on the first half of 2009 or 72.0% up on the same period last year. The collateralised ratio, which indicates the proportion of credit limit with tangible assets pledged, reached 64.4%, up 25.1 percentage points when compared with the first half of 2009 or up 3.1 percentage points when compared with the same period of the preceding year. Credit Utilisation As at end-December 2009, the outstanding value of total SME loans reached MOP20.7 billion, which represented a growth of 5.7% from end-June 2009 or 4.2% from a year earlier. When compared with end-June 2009, SME loans to sectors of “construction and public works”, “restaurants, hotels and similar activities” and “wholesale and retail trade” increased at respective rates of 17.0%, 10.6% and 5.0%, whereas those to “manufacturing” dropped 24.6%. These sectors accounted for 75.0% of the total SME loans outstanding. The utilisation rate, defined as the proportion of outstanding credit balance to the credit limit granted, declined 0.4 percentage points from six months ago to 60.7% . Delinquent Loans At the end of December 2009, the outstanding balance of delinquent SME loans grew by 17.8% from six months ago to MOP510 million. Compared to a year ago, the balance grew by 19.0%. The delinquency ratio, a ratio of delinquent loans outstanding balance to total SME loans outstanding, rose 0.25 percentage points from end-June 2009 or 0.31 percentage points from a year ago to 2.47%.
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Organized by the International Association of Professional Congress Organizers (IAPCO) and hosted by the Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO), the "IAPCO Regional Seminar on Professional Congress Organization" opened today (March 15) at the Grand Hyatt Macau. About 90 MICE industry professionals from Macau and other regions in Asia participated. This is the second consecutive year for the prestigious IAPCO Regional Seminar to be held in Macau. The 3-day seminar aims to provide value-added opportunity for industry professionals from this region to further enhance their organization skills of an international event, how to promote a destination and how to win the bid. About 90 professional congress organizers (PCOs), convention and visitors bureaus, events management companies and other meetings industry representatives from Macau, Hong Kong, Korea, the Philippines, Indonesia and Thailand are here to take part in the seminar and each participant will receive a certificate of attendance from IAPCO & MGTO. The first two days of the seminar will provide participants with a snapshot understanding of the mechanics of conferences and exhibitions, whilst the third day will be dedicated to an in-depth seminar on Promoting a Destination and Bidding to Win. In addition, MGTO has arranged a half-day tour the next day after the seminar so that participants can see and experience for themselves Macau’s current MICE offerings. Three internationally renowned speakers who are experts in the congress industry will share their knowledge and experience in organizing international congresses. They are: Philippe Fournier, the newly elected President of IAPCO, and managing director of MCI in Europe with 25 years experience; Roslyn McLeod, IAPCO Council Member, and managing director of Arinex Pty Ltd. in Australia - Roslyn has been awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia for her contribution to the meetings industry - and Jan Tonkin, also IAPCO Council Member, and managing director of The Conference Company in New Zealand. The Deputy Director of MGTO, Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, pointed out in her welcome speech that 2009 was an exceptionally challenging year. “The financial crisis took its toll on the global economy, while the outbreak of human swine influenza further discouraged travelling. However, as the global economy revives, we should take this opportunity to strengthen our fundamentals and be well equipped with necessary trainings to grasp more business opportunities,” she stressed. She believed that from the valuable insight of the speakers and through interaction with regional participants, the local business tourism trade can enhance their competitiveness and standards of service. Macau’s convention and exhibition industry is growing steadily. With the support of governmental policy, improved facilities and continuous educational opportunities, Macau has enriched its event portfolio by hosting various regional and international conventions and exhibitions. Since the first IAPCO seminar in 1975, IAPCO has built up an unequalled reputation in the field of international meetings management training. Over 2,700 participants worldwide, including at least 80 in Macau have since obtained an IAPCO Seminar Certificate of Attendance. The IAPCO annual “Wolfsberg Seminar” is a much touted industry educational event, however with Macau hosting the regional seminar, many more MICE professionals in Asia will have the opportunity to tap into the collective expertise and experience of the speakers.
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The Chief Executive, Mr Chui Sai On, today praised his predecessor for his contributions to the Macao SAR over the past 10 years, achievements which were widely affirmed by the Central Government and Macao residents. His praises came after Mr Edmund Ho Hau Wah was elected vice chairman of the Third Session of the Eleventh CPPCC National Committee in Beijing. On behalf of the Macao Government, Mr Chui sent Mr Ho a congratulatory letter which said under the latter’s administration Macao society became stabilised, the economy improved, people’s status was elevated, citizen’s lives improved continuously and systems became more perfect, particularly in the implementation of “one country two systems”, “Macao people governing Macao” and high degree of autonomy have achieved fruitful results He said he believed that Mr Ho, in his new position, would constantly contribute to the nation’s unification and fully support the on-going “one country two systems” practice in Macao. Mr Ho said he felt honoured for having been elected vice chairman of the CPPCC National Committee and, under the guidance of the Central Government, he would continue to make efforts to enhance the establishment and development of the country. He also said that he would propel regional co-operation between Guangdong province, Hong Kong and Macao as this has been regarded as one of the strategies of the country’s development.
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In response to the travel notice issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China and Chinese Embassy in Thailand directed towards Chinese citizens, and in light of recent news stories referring that some local organizations will engage in large scale protest activities in Thailand from 12 March, and also on 9 March, the Cabinet Meeting of the Thai Government authorized the enforcement of Internal Security Act (ISA) in Bangkok and 7 neighbouring provinces (Pathum Thani, Nonthaburi, Samut Prakan, Samut Sakhon, Nakhon Pathom, Ayutthaya and Chachoengsao) from 11 March to 23 March, the Tourism Crisis Management Office would like to remind the Macao residents who are planning to travel to Thailand should monitor the situation there or adjust travel itineraries if necessary. As for those who are currently travelling in Thailand, please avoid visiting protest locations and do not participate in any political activity, and remain cautious for personal safety. In case of any emergency, please report to the local police and contact the Chinese Embassy in Thailand for assistance – Chinese Embassy in Bangkok: (66) 2-2457044. Macao residents may also call the Macau Tourism Hotline: (853) 28333000 for assistance.
According to notice of the Ministry for foreign affairs, the Centre for Consular Assistance and Protection also available for public enquiries, Mainland residents and compatriots from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan may contact the Centre for Consular Assistance and Protection for assistance（8610-65964086）.
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The Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) released results of the Survey on Manpower Needs and Wages for the fourth quarter of 2009. Survey coverage comprised Wholesale & Retail Trade; Transport, Storage & Communications; Security Activities and Public Sewage & Refuse Disposal Activities, excluding own-account workers. Survey results were extrapolated according to the information collected from 889 statistical units successfully interviewed. At the end of the fourth quarter of 2009, Wholesale & Retail Trade had 29,211 paid employees, up by 12.3% year-on-year, with 17,754 working in Retail trade. In December 2009, the average earnings (excluding bonuses and allowances) for full-time employees rose by 5.7% year-on-year to MOP9,090, with Sales representatives and Salespersons earning MOP12,070 and MOP7,510 respectively in average. The Transport, Storage & Communications sector took on 7,658 paid employees, down by 2.0% year-on-year. In December 2009, the average earnings for full-time employees increased by 1.1% year-on-year to MOP15,090. Drivers of passenger/cargo transport by land earned an average of MOP12,540. Security Activities had 3,749 paid employees, down by 4.1% year-on-year. The average earnings for full-time employees in December 2009 went up by 4.7% year-on-year to MOP7,830, with Security guards earning MOP7,410 in average. Public Sewage & Refuse Disposal Activities had 623 paid employees, down by 5.3% year-on-year. The average earnings for full-time employees in December 2009 decreased by 6.4% year-on-year to MOP10,520. At the end of December 2009, Wholesale & Retail Trade reported 3,380 vacancies, up substantially by 95.6% year-on-year; Security Activities had 590 vacancies, a year-on-year increase of 23.9%, while the Transport, Storage & Communications sector had 284 vacancies, down by 9.3% year-on-year. In terms of recruitment prerequisites, 57.3% of the vacancies in Wholesale & Retail Trade and 55.8% of those in the Transport, Storage & Communications sector required working experience. As regards educational attainment, 73.8% of the vacancies in Wholesale & Retail Trade and 67.7% in the Transport, Storage & Communications sector required junior secondary education or higher, while 90.5% of those in Security Activities required primary education only. In addition, DSEC introduced the employee turnover rate, recruitment rate and job vacancy rate of the respective sectors to reflect the inflow and outflow of manpower and staffing needs in the various economic activities. In the fourth quarter of 2009, a high level of employee turnover was observed in Security Activities, where the employee turnover rate, recruitment rate and job vacancy rate were 10.6%, 10.4% and 13.6% respectively, higher than those in the other sectors. Employee turnover rate: The percentage of full-time employees leaving employment in the average total number of full-time employees in the reference quarter. Employee recruitment rate: The percentage of newly hired full-time employees in the average total number of full-time employees in the reference quarter. Job vacancy rate: The percentage of vacant posts in the total number of full-time employees and vacant posts at the end of the reference quarter.
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The Government of the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) was informed by the Embassy of the Republic of Macedonia in Beijing that, holders of the Macao SAR Passport have been exempted from visa requirements when entering the Republic of Macedonia for a stay of maximum 90 days since 1 October 2009. On the basis of reciprocity, nationals of the Republic of Macedonia are also exempted from visa requirements when entering the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) for a stay of maximum 90 days. At present, a total of 79 countries and territories have agreed to grant visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to the Macao SAR passport holders, while 9 countries have agreed to grant the visa-free access to the Macao SAR Travel Permit holders.
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According to statistics released today by the Monetary Authority of Macao, on an annual basis, new mortgage lending approved increased notably in the fourth quarter. The outstanding balance of residential mortgage loans (RMLs) rose at a faster pace than commercial real estate loans (CRELs), while their delinquency ratios continued to decline. New Lending Approved For the fourth quarter of 2009, new RMLs approved by Macao banks increased by 6.2% quarter-to-quarter to MOP6.6 billion. Of which, 85.5% was extended to residents. In terms of approved value, new RMLs to residents grew 11.5% whereas those to non-residents fell 17.0%. When compared with the same period last year, new approvals of RMLs surged 297.5%. Meanwhile, new CRELs approved increased considerably by 88.0% from the previous quarter to MOP6.3 billion. Of which, 91.5% was granted to residents. In terms of approved value, new CRELs to residents and non-residents grew at respective rates of 75.4% and 728.8%. On an annual basis, new approvals of CRELs surged 387.2%. Outstanding Balances As at end-December 2009, the outstanding value of RMLs reached MOP44.2 billion, an increase of 8.5% from three months earlier or 28.7% from a year ago. The resident component made up 86.2% of the total. Outstanding RMLs to residents and non-residents grew at respective rates of 7.9% and 12.7% during the fourth quarter of 2009. Concurrently, the outstanding value of CRELs rose 1.1% from end-September 2009 or 8.3% from end-2008 to MOP37.0 billion. Residents accounted for 86.4% of the loans. Outstanding CRELs to residents and to non-residents rose 1.2% and 0.5% respectively in the last quarter of 2009. Delinquency Ratios At the end of 2009, the delinquency ratio for RMLs stood at 0.19%, down 0.04 percentage points from three months earlier or 0.01 percentage point from a year ago. The ratio for CRELs also fell 0.10 percentage point from end-September 2009 or 0.33 percentage points from end-2008 to 0.23%.
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Macau Government Tourist Office launches a joint destination promotion in Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore last week to boost multi-destination itineraries covering Macau, Zhuhai and Zhongshan in the Southeast Asian markets. A delegation of over 20 tourism officials and travel trade representatives from Macau, Zhongshan and Zhuhai presented tourist products of the three destinations to 240 local trade and media at the tourism product seminars, followed by travel marts and dinners held in Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok and Singapore respectively from March 8 to 12. This is the first ever joint event featuring Macau, Zhongshan and Zhuhai tourism in Southeast Asia. The promotional activities of MGTO held in the three markets aim to highlight Macau as Asia’s popular business and leisure destination as well as the gateway to the Mainland, while joining force with Pearl River Delta cities to promote multi-destination tourism which boost themed itineraries of Zhongshan, Zhuhai and Macau. In the meeting earlier this year, tourism authorities of the three cities discussed about overseas joint promotional activities and designated Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand as this year’s target markets. Tourism authorities of Zhongshan, Zhuhai and Macau held work meeting in 2008 to set promotional and marketing objectives for the three cities and agreed to join forces to organize overseas promotional activities to enhance profile of tourist products in the region. In 2006, the three cities signed the "Zhongshan, Zhuhai and Macau Tourism Cooperation Memorandum" in which contents have been well implemented. A number of themed promotional materials on Zhongshan, Zhuhai and Macau, referred to as Greater Xiangshan, have been developed in 2007 including tourist map, guide book and golf guide.
Promotional activities at Kuala Lumpur Travel trade of Singapore at mini martSingapore travel trade at luncheon
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The Institute for Tourism Studies, Macao has been invited by the Administration Bureau of Mount Lusan Scenic Spot - Mount Lushan World Heritage Office, Jiangxi China to provide a train-the-trainers workshop on the Cultural Heritage Specialist Guides Programme for UNESCO heritage sites. The three-day workshop, facilitated by IFT instructors, took place on 11-13 March, 2010 at IFT. IFT cements its position as leader of heritage management education by providing specialised UNESCO World Heritage training to curriculum developers, managers and trainers of Mount Lushan World Heritage Office. Appointed the Knowledge Management Hub of the Asian Academy of Heritage Management (AAHM) by UNESCO and ICCROM in 2009, IFT is committed to the development of heritage management education in Asia. This customised three-day training aims at building the capacity of heritage professionals from the Administrative Bureau of Mount Lushan Scenic and Historic Spots to bring about the professionalisation of World Heritage guiding and interpretation at the Mount Lushan World Heritage site. In timely response to concerns of high-impact tourism at World Heritage sites in Asia, AAHM launched the Cultural Heritage Specialist Guides Programme in 2005. This rigorous, practical and internationally-recognised training and certification programme is being implemented through active partnerships between members of AAHM, training institutions from the UNESCAP Asia Pacific Education and Training Institutes in Tourism (APETIT) network and National Tourism Organisations (NTOs), with the Institute for Tourism Studies serving as the Knowledge Management Hub and UNESCO providing technical advisory.
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