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Information from the Statistics and Census Service indicated that inward foreign direct investment amounted to MOP 13.20 billion in 2007, up by MOP 330 million over 2006. Analyzed by investors’ place of usual residence, investment came mainly from Hong Kong (MOP 6.72 billion), Mainland China (MOP 3.38 billion) and the United States (MOP 3.16 billion). In addition, outward direct investment made by Macao enterprises totalled MOP 6.92 billion, indicating a net inflow of foreign direct investment of MOP 6.28 billion in 2007. In 2007, income earned by investors from inward foreign direct investment totalled MOP 11.17 billion, down significantly by MOP 8.59 billion over 2006. Meanwhile, income earned by Macao enterprises from outward direct investment rose by MOP 113 million to MOP 565 million. At the end of 2007, stock of inward foreign direct investment in Macao reached MOP 63.02 billion, a notable surge of MOP 10.94 billion from 2006. Stock of outward direct investment made by Macao enterprises increased by MOP 6.90 billion over 2006 to MOP 15.43 billion. Analyzed by industry, the Gaming Sector took a dominant share of MOP 37.85 billion in the stock of inward foreign direct investment, up by MOP 4.12 billion over 2006. Concurrently, the Financial Sector (MOP 13.10 billion) and the Construction Sector (MOP 3.45 billion) also registered increase of MOP 2.85 billion and MOP 1.98 billion respectively compared with 2006. Stock of foreign direct investment from Hong Kong amounted to MOP 37.26 billion in 2007, a year-on-year increase of MOP 6.64 billion. This was followed by investment from the United States (MOP 12.70 billion) and Mainland China (MOP 6.65 billion), up by MOP 3.15 billion and MOP 1.94 billion respectively over 2006. Direct Investment Statistics refers to the investment profile between Macao and other economies. For statistical purpose, Macao and Mainland China are considered as two separate economies. Coverage of the Direct Investment Statistics included the major industries of Macao, namely Industrial Production; Construction; Wholesale & Retail; Hotels & Restaurants; Transport, Storage & Communications; Financial Services; Gaming; and Cultural, Recreational & Other Services. In 2007, there were 1,853 foreign direct investment enterprises in Macao, with 1,804 engaging in the Non-Financial Sector and 49 in the Financial Sector.
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Information of the Statistics and Census Service indicated that the population of Macao was estimated at 557,000 as at 30 September 2008, an increase of 25,000 from a year earlier. In the third quarter of 2008, there were 1,221 live births, up by 11.7% quarter-to-quarter, with male babies accounting for 51.8%. The number of mortality cases was 405 and the major underlying cause of death was “Malignant Neoplasms” and “Diseases of the Circulatory System”. Meanwhile, 9 cases of fetal mortality were recorded. The Health Bureau received 614 cases of Notifiable diseases in the third quarter, a decrease of 150 cases over the preceding quarter, including 156 cases of “Acute Norovirus Gastroenteropathy”, 111 cases of “Varicella (chickenpox)” and 91 cases of “Tuberculosis of Lung”. Besides, cases of “Hand, Foot and Mouth Diseases” dropped significantly from 302 in the last quarter to 53 cases. In addition, 745 cases of marriage were registered, up slightly by 0.4% over the second quarter of 2008. The number of legal immigrants from Mainland China totalled 621 in the third quarter of 2008, a decrease of 94 over the preceding quarter; meanwhile, 331 illegal immigrants were repatriated. The end-quarter balance of individuals authorized to reside in Macao went up by 1,700 over the second quarter of 2008 to 47,191. The end-quarter balance of non-resident workers was 104,281, an increase of 5,776 over the second quarter of 2008.
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service indicated that the Composite CPI for October 2008 rose by 8.82% year-on-year to 126.76, of which the price indices of Food & Non-Alcoholic Beverages; Health; and Clothing & Footwear soared by 17.72%, 14.00% and 7.41% respectively. Among the subgroups of Food & Non-Alcoholic Beverages, notable increase was observed in the prices of rice (+65.54%), fresh beef (+56.56%), canned meat (+47.92%), fresh fish (+30.10%), vegetables (+27.38%) and fresh pork (+25.74%). For the subgroups of Health and Clothing & Footwear, charges for medical consultation service and women’s clothings rose significantly by 24.75% and 8.84% respectively. Meanwhile, the price index of Recreation and Culture recorded a year-on-year increase of 7.24% due to rising charges for outbound package tours. In spite of dearer prices of LP Gas (+24.14%), higher rentals for housing (+15.12%) and charges for maintenance & repair services of dwelling (+14.33%), the electricity subsidy provided by the Government slowed down the year-on-year increment of the index of Housing & Fuels to 6.44%. On the contrary, lower prices of mobile phones and mobile service charges caused the price index of Communication to decrease by 6.87%. The CPI-A and CPI-B for October 2008 were 129.53 and 126.04 respectively, up by 9.71% and 8.52% year-on-year. The Composite CPI for October 2008 increased by 0.35% month-to-month, with the price indices of Clothing & Footwear; Food & Non-Alcoholic Beverages; and Housing & Fuels increasing by 1.61%, 1.27% and 0.49% respectively, on account of dearer prices for new arrivals of Autumn/Winter clothing, rising prices of fish and vegetables, as well as higher rentals for housing. On the other hand, continuous decrease of gasoline prices drove down the price index of Transport by 3.94%. Moreover, the CPI-A and CPI-B increased by 0.53% and 0.29% respectively month-to-month. The average Composite CPI for January to October 2008 went up by 8.98% over the same period of 2007. For the 12 months ended October 2008, the Composite CPI rose by 8.65% over the preceding period. The Composite CPI reflects the impacts of price changes on the general population. The CPI-A relates to about 49% of households, which have an average monthly expenditure of MOP3,000 to MOP9,999. The CPI-B relates to about 31% of households, which have an average monthly expenditure of MOP10,000 to MOP19,999.
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service indicated that visitor arrivals totalled 2,623,548 in October 2008, a year-on-year increase of 8.0%. Visitors from Mainland China (1,534,609), Southeast Asia (143,234) and Hong Kong (701,429) rose by 12.2%, 23.9% and 1.2% respectively. Same-day visitors took up 54.9% of the total arrivals, at 1,440,047. The majority of the visitors came from Mainland China, Hong Kong and Southeast Asia, which accounted for 58.5%; 26.7%; and 5.5% of the total respectively. Among the Mainland visitors, 470,049 travelled to Macao under the Individual Visit Scheme, down by 25.9% year-on year. In the first ten months of 2008, visitor arrivals reached 25,109,041, up by 14.5% year-on-year. Visitors from Mainland China (14,650,492) and Southeast Asia grew by 21.9% and 43.1% respectively, with those from Hong Kong rising slightly by 0.1%. Furthermore, same-day visitors made up 53.1% of the total arrivals, at 13,342,487. Analysed by mode of transport, visitor arrivals by sea increased by 9.4% over the first ten months of 2007 to 7,955,716, with 1,104,802 arriving at the Provisional Ferry Terminal in Taipa. Meanwhile, 6,511,482 visitors arrived at the Outer Harbour, down by 5.3% year-on-year. Visitor arrivals by land rose by 16.9% to 15,729,987. Visitors arriving through the Border Gate increased by 13.3% to 14,895,611 and the majority were visitors from Mainland China (80.4%) and Hong Kong (14.1%). In addition, visitor arrivals by air totalled 1,423,338, up by 19.7% over the first ten months of 2007. Visitors arriving at the Macao International Airport rose by 18.0% to 1,393,781, with the majority coming from Taiwan, China (35.1%), Southeast Asia (30.3%) and Mainland China (22.1%).
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service indicated that the coverage of the 2007 Service Sector Survey has extended from services of Real Estate Agencies, Real Estate Management, Security and Cleaning to include Advertising Services and Conference/Exhibition Organizing Services. Spurred by the rapid expansion of the economy, business performance of the above mentioned Service registered notable year-on-year growth. In 2007, there were 875 operating Real Estate Agencies, up by 37 over 2006, engaging a total of 2,000 persons (+12%). Total Receipts amounted to MOP 480 million (+51%) and Total Expenditure was MOP 365 million (+40%). Gross Value Added, a gauge of the sectoral contribution to the economy, soared remarkably by 79% to MOP 295 million. Meanwhile, number of establishments operating in Real Estate Management increased by 6 over 2006 to 165, with 4,689 workers (+1%). Total Receipts and Total Expenditure amounted to MOP 769 million and MOP 595 million, up by 27% and 19% respectively. Gross Value Added reached MOP 492 million, a year-on-year increase of 36%. There were 10 establishments providing Security Services, an increase of 1 over 2006, engaging a total of 3,653 persons (+8%). Total Receipts and Total Expenditure amounted to MOP 460 million and MOP 359 million, up by 26% and 22% respectively. Gross Value Added grew by 32% to MOP 401 million. Number of establishments providing Cleaning Services grew by 6 over 2006 to 87, engaging a total of 2,466 persons, up by 25%. Total Receipts and Total Expenditure amounted to MOP 224 million and MOP 190 million respectively, both surging by 38%. Gross Value Added expanded by 35% to MOP 174 million. In 2007, the 300 Advertising Agencies engaged 814 workers. Total Receipts was MOP 244 million, of which receipts from advertising services accounted for MOP 191 million (78% of total) and that of conference/exhibition organizing services totalled MOP 43.93 million. Total Expenditure was MOP 210 million and Gross Value Added amounted to MOP 85.94 million. Conference/Exhibition Organizing Services was included for the first time in this Survey. In 2007, there were 10 operating establishments and the total number of person engaged was only 33. Total Receipts was MOP 9.54 million, with receipts from the provision of conference/exhibition organizing services sharing 97% of the total (MOP 9.25 million). Total Expenditure amounted to MOP 10.69 million and Gross Value Added was MOP 1.98 million.
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service indicated that the Total Receipts of the Gaming Sector amounted to MOP85.21 billion in 2007, a notable increase of 46% year-on-year. Total Expenditure increased by 46% to MOP 44.66 billion. Gross Value Added, a measure of the sectoral contribution to the economy, surged significantly by 52% over 2006 to MOP 51.27 billion; Gross Fixed Capital Formation soared by 120% to MOP 7.90 billion on account of the addition of new gaming and tourism facilities. Total Receipts of the Gaming Sector reached MOP 85.21 billion in 2007, with the receipts from Gaming and Related Services amounting to MOP 84.98 billion (99.7% of the total), an increase of 46% compared with 2006. Interest Receipts totalled MOP 235 million. Total Expenditure amounted to MOP 44.66 billion, with Purchase of Goods and Commission Paid rising by 40% over 2006 to MOP 23.94 billion (54% of the total). In addition, Operating Expenses (MOP 9.77 billion) and Compensation of Employees (MOP 8.72 billion) went up notably by 35% and 75% compared with 2006.
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service indicated that number of operating establishments in the Transport, Storage & Communications Sector in 2007 totalled 2,044, an increase of 122 compared with 2006, with the total number of persons rising by 10% to 13,209. The increase in the number of large-scale hotels and gaming facilities, visitor arrivals and outbound residents brought about satisfactory growth to the business performance of the Sector. Total Receipts (MOP 15.12 billion) and Total Expenditure (MOP 13.14 billion) grew by 16% and 17% respectively over 2006. Gross Value Added, a measure of the sectoral contribution to the economy, rose by 14% to MOP 4.37 billion. In 2007, there were 2,011 establishments operating in the Transport & Storage sector, up by 125 establishments over 2006, engaging 11,376 persons, an increase of 13%. A total of 1,586 establishments were operating in Land Transport, 398 were in Supporting & Auxiliary Transport Activities, including 157 Travel Agencies. Total Receipts of the Transport & Storage sector recorded an increase of 17% over 2006 to MOP 11.63 billion, with receipts from Passenger and Cargo Transport amounting to MOP 7.29 billion (63% of the total). Total Expenditure was MOP 10.66 billion, up by 18% over 2006, of which Operating Expenses was 6,36 billion (60% of the total), and Purchase of Goods & Commission Paid totalled MOP 2.65 billion. In 2007, Gross Value Added of Transport & Storage sector rose by 15% over 2006 to MOP 2.60 billion. In the Communications sector, a total of 33 establishments were operating in 2007, a decrease of 3 establishments over 2006; total number of persons engaged dropped by 3% to 1,833. Total Receipts of the Communications sector amounted to MOP 3.49 billion, up by 13% compared with 2006, with receipts from the provision of Communications Services and Sales of Goods totalling MOP 2.89 billion (83% of the total). Total Expenditure grew by 13% over 2006 to MOP 2.49 billion, of which Purchase of Goods & Commission Paid amounted to MOP 1.03 billion and Operating Expenses totalled MOP 638 million. In 2007, Gross Value Added of the Communications sector was MOP 1.77 billion, up by 12% over 2006.
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that the property market of Macao moderated considerably in the third quarter of 2008. Sale and purchase of building units with stamp duty paid were 4,229 and the total value amounted to MOP7.07 billion, down significantly by 42.4% and 35.7% respectively over the previous quarter. Among these transactions, 1,980 units (46.8%) with a total value of MOP4.66 billion were purchased and sold under Intermediate Transfer of Title, down notably by 37.1% and 32.9% respectively. The majority (2,335 units or 55.2%) of these transactions were residential units and the respective value amounted to MOP5.86 billion, down by 42.7% and 36.3% respectively over the second quarter. Among the residential units, 1,976 were situated in the Macao Peninsula, 346 in Taipa and 13 in Coloane. In terms of the transaction price, number of residential units sold for over MOP4,000,000 totalled 522 (22.4% of the total); 402 units (17.2%) for over MOP2,000,000 to MOP4,000,000; 558 units (23.9%) for over MOP1,000,000 to MOP2,000,000; and 853 units (36.5%) for MOP1,000,000 or less. In the third quarter of 2008, the overall average transaction price of residential units dropped by 3.7% over the previous quarter to MOP23,819 per square meter of usable area; the average transaction price of those in Taipa decreased by 6.2% to MOP22,085 per square meter and the average price of those in the Macao Peninsula decreased by 5.1% to MOP23,911 per square meter. The average transaction price of office units amounted to MOP19,176 per square meter, down by 20.5% over the preceding quarter; however, the average price of industrial units rose by 4.3% to MOP6,176 per square meter. The average price of the residential units purchased and sold under Intermediate Transfer of Title was MOP32,430 per square meter, down by 13.0% over the previous quarter, more than the decrease of the overall average price, within which the average price of those in the Macao Peninsula decreased by 20.6% to MOP32,385 per square meter. There were 2,064 cases of real estate sale and purchase contracts made in the third quarter of 2008, involving 2,785 units and a total value of MOP3.88 billion, down by 30.8% and 5.8% respectively over the preceding quarter. The construction of 14 new buildings with a gross floor area of 377,424 m² has been started in the third quarter of 2008. Upon completion, these buildings will provide 1,729 units, 1,776 parking spaces for cars and 26 parking spaces for motorcycles. Meanwhile, a total of 22 buildings with a gross floor area of 236,341 m² were completed, providing altogether 62 units, 395 parking spaces for cars and 248 parking spaces for motorcycles.
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The Macau Grand Prix Museum celebrated today its 15th anniversary unveiling several novelties to the public, including a three dimensions virtual tour to the museum, among other surprises. The anniversary party of the museum was attended by the Coordinator of the Macau Grand Prix Committee and Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO) Director, João Manuel Costa Antunes. The event was also participated, among others, by pilots and team members participating at the 55th edition of the Macau Grand Prix. It was unveiled to the public a new way to visit the Grand Prix Museum and the neighbour Wine Museum, which is a three dimensions one, available on the Internet at http://www.3dmacau.com. An exhibition of photos and other items about the Macau Grand Prix also opened to the public today at the museum. To celebrate the 15th anniversary, the Grand Prix Museum made also available for visitors two play stations of the Macau motorcycle race, which will join the already existing simulator of World Touring Cars Championship. Also today was reopened the Grand Prix Museum cinema which will exhibit two sessions a day of films about the past and recent editions of the Grand Prix. Among the new Grand Prix Museum acquisitions for its fifteenth anniversary is a digital track for remote control cars. The track is seven meters length and was tailor made for the Guia Circuit. The digital slot (toy) car will be installed soon at the museum for visitors to play. Also soon to be installed at the museum is an interactive kiosk to provide detailed information about previous editions of the Grand Prix, photos, videos, and others. Under MGTO, the Grand Prix Museum tells the story of the Macau Grand Prix taking place in the city streets since 1954. Among the more valuable items of the museum are the cars driven by Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher at the Formula 3 Macau Grand Prix when they won the race before heading to Formula 1. The museum highlights also include the motorcycles rode by Michael Rutter and John McGuiness when they won the Macau Motorcycle Grand Prix, together with the BMW driven by Emanuele Pirro when he won the touring cars race of Macau Grand Prix.
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Macau Government Tourist Office（MGTO）attended World Travel Market 2008 (WTM) in London to promote Macau tourism and its valuable World Heritage as well as to introduce MGTO’s newly appointed representative in the UK and Irish markets. World Travel Market 2008 took place at ExCeL London from 10 to 13 November. In addition to the trade show, there were an array of forums, including the WTM ChinaContact 3rd Annual Forum on China's Tourism Industry, seminars, conferences, debates and cultural performances, providing participants with both a rare learning platform and key insight into future trends and innovations within the tourism industry. Deputy Director of MGTO, Ms. Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, MGTO’s recently appointed representative in the UK and Irish markets, Ms. Sue Whitehead, together with representatives from Macau's tourism industry joined the trade event in London. MGTO set up a booth at the fair to promote Macau's World Heritage and to introduce business travel, culture and leisure travel of Macau. The latest series of MGTO’s tourism promotional video, "Experience Macau" was shown at the booth to present the destination’s unique difference through the five senses, see, taste, feel, hear and touch. In September, MGTO has appointed Hume Whitehead Limited to reinforce its marketing efforts in the UK, covering Ireland for the first time. MGTO believes that Hume Whitehead's extensive experience and contacts will enable MGTO to forge more direct and closer relationships with the travel trade in the region, to respond more efficiently to market demand as well as to put Macau firmly on the map with UK and Irish consumers. Since 2006, Pacific Asia Travel Association has organized at the House of Commons at the Palace of Westminster a keynote dinner during WTM. This is the third consecutive year the dinner was sponsored by the Macau Government Tourist Office. A wide spectrum of UK companies and associations from the travel sector were invited to join the dinner on November 10 whereby MGTO's officials and trade partners had the chance to meet top-level guests of the UK and the Pacific Asia travel sector. It was also an opportunity to uplift Macau's profile and showcase the destination. WTM, one of the biggest travel fairs in the world held every year in London, brings together worldwide buyers and sellers from around the world. Last year, it attracted 48,111 travel industry professionals representing over 197 countries or regions. The United Kingdom is the one of Macau’s major European source markets, with 78,000 visitors last year, a growth of 36.5%. For the first three quarters of 2008, the market maintained its growth momentum with close to 60,000 arrivals, an 11.5% increase from same period of last year.
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