May 1, 2008Macau received 7.5 million visitors in the first quarter of 2008, which was a rise of 17.9 percent against the same period of 2007.
The number of visitors from mainland China was 4.38 million, which was a rise of 22.6 percent, while the number of visitors from Hong Kong and Southeast Asia rose 3.3 and 63.3 percent, respectively.
Posted in Economy, Economy & Business, Macau General, Macau Government, Macau Tourism, Travel 
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April 29, 2008The peg of the pataca to the Hong Kong dollar is an established policy of the Government and will not be changed for a long time, the Chief Executive, Mr Edmund Ho Hau Wah, said when he attended a plenary session of the Legislative Assembly this afternoon.
Mr Ho, who was answering legislators’ questions, said he understood that the increasing exchange rate of RMB had stimulated inflation; however, the pataca’s link exchange rate relationship with the Hong Kong dollar will not be changed in order to maintain financial stability.
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April 28, 2008Bangkok Airways will begin flights to Macau in July, becoming the third carrier to offer scheduled non-stop service on the fast-growing route between Bangkok and the former Portuguese colony. The Thai carrier is set to commence daily flights using a new twin engine Airbus A319, which is capable of carrying 120 passengers, on July 4.
The launch would give Bangkok Airways a share of the lucrative and booming air traffic demand of the city. Two operators have been serving the city: the no-frills carrier Thai AirAsia and the full-service airline Air Macau.
Posted in Air Macau, AirAsia, Cotai Strip, Macau Airport, Macau Tourism, Travel, Venetian Macao No Comments »
April 26, 2008Macau visitor arrivals reached 2,713,457 in March 2008, a year-on-year increase of 25.6%. Visitors from Mainland China (1,566,179), Hong Kong (743,250) and Southeast Asia (153,921) grew by 32.4%, 11.5% and 60.4% respectively. Same-day visitors accounted for 53.2% of the total arrivals, at 1,444,785.
The majority of the visitors came from Mainland China and Hong Kong, which accounted for 57.7% and 27.4% of the total respectively. Among the Mainland visitors, 43.3% (678,822) travelled to Macao under the Individual Visit Scheme.
Posted in CotaiJet, Macau Airport, Macau Ferry, Macau Government, Macau Tourism, Travel No Comments »
April 5, 2008Macao registered a record high of 26,992,995 visitor arrivals in 2007, up by 23% over 2006; visitors from Mainland China and Hong Kong accounted for 55% and 30% of the total respectively. Mainland visitors travelled to Macao under the Individual Visit Scheme totalled 7,165,203, up by 24%. Visitor arrivals in package tours rose notably by 45% to 4,233,714.
In 2007, the number of Macao residents travelled in package tours dropped by 22% over 2006 to 212,107 and those travelled under individual arrangements using services provided by travel agencies increased by 4% to 386,927.
Posted in Cotai Strip Hotels, Hotel Macau, Macau Business, Macau Casino, Macau Gaming, Macau General, Macau Tourism, Travel No Comments »
March 30, 2008The world economy remained strong in the first three quarters of 2007, but the momentum tended to slowdown in the fourth quarter; however, the economy of Macau was not much affected due to the support from Mainland China. Driven by the rapid development of the gaming and tourism sector, investment surged substantially and local consumption remained robust; as a result, the economic growth for 2007 was far higher than 2006.
GDP of Macao for 2007 was estimated at US$19.20 billion, up by 27.3% in real terms and the per-capita GDP amounted to US$ 36,357. GDP for the fourth quarter of 2007 recorded an increase of 22.1% in real terms; meanwhile, the rates for the first and second quarters were revised downward from 25.7% and 31.6% to 25.2% and 30.8% respectively, but that for the third quarter was revised upward from 30.9% to 32.2%; for 2006, the rate of growth maintained at 17.0%.
Posted in Cotai Strip, Economy, Macau Business, Macau Casino, Macau General, Macau Government, Macau Investment, Macau Tourism No Comments »
March 14, 2008Air Macau will add an extra flight day on the route from Macau to Beijing starting March 31.
Fei Hongjun, general manager of Air Macau said that this additional service will be helpful for development of business, trade and tourism of Macau and Beijing and will provide more options for tourists during the 2008 Olympic Games.
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March 12, 2008At the end of January 2008, the total number of guest rooms available in the Macau hotel sector increased by 3,204 (+24.8%) from a year earlier to 16,126 rooms.
In January 2008, a total of 562,547 guests checked into hotels and similar establishments, representing a year-on-year growth of 30.9%. The majority of the guests came from Mainland China (47.4%) and Hong Kong (21.6%). The average hotel occupancy rate went up by 1.0 percentage point to 72.7%, with 4-star hotels leading at 78.1%; in addition, the average length of stay of hotel guests extended by 0.2 night to 1.4 nights.
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