MGTO’s online training to upskill local tourism practitioners

The Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) rolled out eight online learning videos to impart knowledge of RATER, an international model of service quality assessment, to local tourism practitioners. MGTO intends to upskill the service capabilities of industry professionals to meet customers’ expectations. A new video will be launched on MGTO’s platform every two weeks from February to May. The classes will be taught by an experienced journalist from Hong Kong, Li Chan Wing.

DSEDT considering launch of new promotions to boost spending

On the back of the success of the 2020 Consumption Carnivals, the Economic and Technological Development Bureau (DSEDT) is considering several possibilities so as to launch another round of consumption promotions to stimulate local spending. As of January 24, the transaction value of the Consumption Carnivals exceeded MOP80 million, almost 1.5 times the tally of the 2019 carnivals. It also generated a second consumption worth over MOP200 million.

105 low-income subsidies approved last October

Last October, the local government approved 105 applications for subsidies designated for those with low-incomes. In November, the city’s minimum wage law came into effect. As a result of the new law, the government terminated the subsidy program which was a temporary measure to help those who have an income lower than MOP5,000. Between January and October of 2020, 741 applicants were granted the subsidy. On average, each applicant was subsidized by MOP1,919 per month.

Gongbei logged 9,078 smuggling cases in 2020

Zhuhai’s Gongbei customs authority logged 9,078 smuggling cases in 2020. 187 of these were criminal cases, according to statistics released by the Gongbei customs authority. The thousands of cases involve a total of RMB8.60 billion. In addition, 1,767 smuggling incidents were conducted by “parallel traders,” of which 23 cases involved an amount exceeding RMB10 million, mostly related to mobile phones and luxury products.