Briefs | 30 locals sought help from Chinese embassies

The director of the consular section of the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China in Macau, Liu Yufei, said that this year, between 20 and 30 Macau residents sought protection or services from China’s overseas consulates. Incidents such as the volcano eruption in Bali and the fire in Yangon led Macau residents to seek help from the consulates while traveling. According to Liu, residents’ primary concerns in recent years have been natural disasters, personal injuries and passport issues.

Guangdong extends foreigners’ visa-free scheme

According to mainland reports, Guangdong will implement its visa-free transit policy for visitors from more cities, as well as extend the visa-free period from 72 to 144 hours from next year. Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport is currently the province’s only airport to implement the policy, which covers passengers from 53 countries. Shenzhen and Jieyang’s airports will be among those to implement the updated policy. During these 144 hours, foreign visitors will only be allowed to travel within Guangdong province. The policy applies to visitors from South Korea, Japan, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, the US and Canada, among others.

Air Macau expects MOP80 million profit in 2017

Air Macau is expecting a full-year profit of MOP80 million in 2017, according to a report by Macao Daily News. The president of the Executive Committee and Chief Executive Officer of Air Macau, Chen Hong, expects profit for 2017 to triple that of the previous year, due mainly to improvements in the airline’s operational efficiencies. Air Macau will introduce three new aircraft in 2018 and plans to launch routes to Wenzhou, Qingdao and Phuket. It also intends to commence daily flights to Taipei in the year ahead.

‘Sports for All Day’ tomorrow at Iao Hon Market Park

To continue to pass the message that is the motto of Sport Bureau (ID) “Practice Sports, Strengthen Your Health,” the ID will organize “Sports for All Day” tomorrow. The event will be held from 3 p.m. to 5.30 p.m. at the Iao Hon Market Park. During the event, the ID informed that specialized staff from several sports associations would be introducing several sports like gateball, wei qi, badminton, table tennis and a kiosk for mini Grand Prix games. The bureau said that through such activities, they are aiming to encourage citizens to practice sport and raise their interest in sporting activities, two positive changes which can result in the strengthening of their physical health.