Shenzhen makes it easier for foreign workers
Shenzhen has officially opened China’s first ever expatriate job management office. The new office, which was formerly known as the expatriate job services center, issues work permits for expats. Currently, there are 15,000 non-resident workers in Shenzhen from over 100 countries, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau. As the Pearl River Delta continues to boom, Shenzhen is welcoming more foreign workers with quick and efficient service, while balancing security measures to curb illegal labour.

Police bullet identified
It’s official: the bullet that hit an old man on a motorbike during the May Day protest has been identified as being from a police issued pistol. The bullet struck the neck and pierced the lung of Mr Leong Ngai-keong, who was 300 metres from the fracas. The officer who waved his gun in the air and pulled the trigger, Hoi Weng-chong, has not been put off active duty nor faced any disciplinary charges. The Public Prosecution Office is still examining the results to decide who if anyone will take care of Leong’s hospital bill and bear legal responsibility.

Macau credit card launched
Air Macau, the Bank of China and BOC Credit Card Intl. Ltd. have launched the “Air Macau-Master Credit Card”. Card owners will be given privileged membership with Air Macau which will give them a ten percent discount on in-flight duty-free shopping. Each pataca spent will get card-carriers a bonus point on Air Macau. Every eleven points will garnish one travel mile.

Macau-Zhuhai investment seminar
Over 400 business investors and government representatives from China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, the US, Japan and Australia gathered in Zhuhai for workshops and meetings. The event focused on the Macau-Zhuhai Cross Border Industrial Zone, harbour logistics, chemicals and IT. Nearly US$ 1.34 billion and more than 19 cooperation projects were committed to at the seminar.

Heroin dealers arrested
The Macau police apprehended an international drug smuggler with 562 grams in his body. The street value of the heroin amounted to MOP 450,000 (US$ 56,250). The Peruvian national had the narcotics removed from his body at Conde de Sao Januario hospital after the man fainted in downtown hotel. They also arrested 8 Africans who were working as “smack” mules.

Hong Kong labour solidarity
The Hong Kong Catholic Commission for Labour Affairs is one of numerous organisations who are challenging the use of batons, pepper spray and gunfire used during Macau’s May Day protest. The commission is urging the Macau government to hold an independent investigation of police violence. In response to challenges from Hong Kong civil rights groups, the Macau government blocked five members of the Joint Committee of Underprivileged Groups of Hong Kong, who were seized by ten Macau officers as they tried to voice their support for their Macau comrades. They were taken to the ferry terminal and ordered out of the city.

Non-resident employees to number 100,000
Macau’s Census and Statistics Department (DSEC) reported a 48.68 percent rise in the number of employees from outside Macau. As of March, those figures reached 71,182. By the end of 2007, they expect an additional 30,000 more imported workers to enter Macau, approaching if not exceeding the 100,000 mark. The opening of the Venetian and MICE facilities are expected to kick-start the massive influx. Of the current seventy thousand strong non-resident workers, 40,154 came from the mainland, trailed by residents from Hong Kong and the Philippines. The DSEC also reported that these workers did not hurt local labour.

Crown’s rocky road
Following the rocky opening of the Crown Macau, shares of Melco-PBL dropped as 1st-quarter operating losses expanded to US$ 27.2 million. Overall operating costs climbed to US$ 56.1 million for both Melco-PBL’s Crown Macau and City of Dreams projects. Currently, Crown’s five floors of gaming are open, with the lobby frequently filling-up. The casino’s several cafes and bars are open and its fleet of 60 transport busses and shuttles are fully operating. Crown is expected to open its main hotel, restaurants and sky lounge by the end of July. VIP guests and media who attended the chaotic opening are looking forward to a make-up party and celebrating Macau’s first six-star establishment in style.

Massive’s junket
Massive Resources International Corp., a former cruise ship operator listed on the Hong Kong stock exchange, plans to pay HK$ 100 million for a stake in Good Omen, a junket operator that earns 0.4 percent of the rolling turnover of the junket operator Hoi Seng. Hoi Seng brings customers to the Neptuno VIP Club at the Galaxy Entertainment’s StarWorld. In February, Massive paid HK$ 140 million for a 20 percent VIP gaming junket that controls five high-stakes tables in the Sands’ Chengdu VIP room, which is controlled by junket agent Hou Wan. In effect, Hou Wan relies on 500 freelance agents to bring in high-rollers.

Problem gamers on the rise
According to Mr. So Hang Tai of the Macau Industrial Evangelistic Fellowship (IEF), more croupiers are becoming problem gamblers. Of the 62 problem gamblers they received last year, 17 were croupiers. One had taken up loans that totaled MOP 2 million. Many addicted croupiers said Macau lacks 24-hour facilities, so spending free time socially is hard. Most of the 108 cases IEF has received since 2004 have involved high loans. Mr. So called for the gambling age to be lifted from age 18 to 21.

Gaming tax growth
According to the Finance Services Bureau, the Macau government garnished MOP 8.95 billion in direct gaming revenue last year for an overall year-on-year growth rate of 46.8 percent. They accounted for 73.9 percent of the government’s total revenue between January and February. The government’s total revenue for the first four months of 2007 reached MOP 12.12 billion, a year-on-year rise of 49.9 percent. The government’s revenue from property during the first four months of 2007 swelled to MOP 1.14 billion, a 107.9 percent spike. Indirect taxes totaled MOP 640.2 million, a year-on-year climb of 77.2 percent.

Crook croupier cuffed
The Macau police arrested a croupier from an SJM casino who allegedly stole HK$ 685,000 (US$ 85,625) in chips. The 32-year-old suspect was apprehended after Grand Lisboa managers noticed missing chips linked to the suspect. A search of his apartment uncovered a mound of cash, according to Chinese media. Investigations to see if other staff were involved is underway.

Venetian hand-tailored entertainment
The Las Vegas Sands has hired LodgeNet Entertainment, a television, internet access and on-demand movie provider to make hand-tailored services for the Venetian and Sands. LodgeNet will create, install and manage customised programming for the 3,000 rooms at the Venetian and 200 rooms at the Sands. This is LodgeNet’s first foray into the China market. LVS also struck an agreement with BASE Entertainment, who will be their Asia-Pacific Rim partner. Base Entertainment will program multiple theatre and area productions for the Venetian in Cotai and at Marina Bay Sands in Singapore. The first major project will be the Cirque du Soleil at the Venetian’s custom built theatre in the summer of 2008. Also, LVS has announced a contract with the gaming industry’s leading provider of data visualisation and report writing analysis, Casino Date Imaging (CDI) to provide them business intelligence programmes.

Macau hotels report high occupancy rate during the Golden Week 
Despite fears that shopping scams in Hong Kong would hurt Macau’s tourism, the latest figures for Golden Week have promising news. While the proportion of tourism groups declined, the proportion of individual tourists actually increased. This drove accommodation prices up. According to reports, hotels that had targeted package tours were not effected by group tour dips. In fact, they too benefited. Most of Macau’s hotels were full throughout China’s Golden Week. Macau recorded nearly 590,000 visitor arrivals during the Labour Day “Golden Week” holidays, which lasted from May 1 to 7, seeing a year-on-year growth of 29 percent. Numbers from the Macao Government Tourist Office showed that some 60 percent of the “Golden Week” visitors were from the mainland. Average occupancy rates at three-to-five-star hotels stood at 83.9 percent, a year-on-year increase of 6.27 percent. The total hotel room supply reached 13, 258.

Q1 hotel frenzy
As of the end of the first quarter, there were 23 hotels under construction and 36 under official assessment, according to the Lands, Public Works and Transport Bureau. In total, these 59 hotels join the current range of 80 hotels in Macau, 11 of which have five-star ratings. The new hotels will have around 38,254 hotel rooms and 13,861 rooms to add to the current level of 13,049 rooms.

Macau Prime sees HK$ 168 million spike
Macau Prime Properties, a real-estate investor whose biggest shareholder is Hanny Holdings, raised HK$ 168 million in a recent top-up share. The firm issued 300 million new shares, which represent 11.27 percent  of their enlarged share capital. The proceeds will be used for the company’s working capital.

Praia sales up
More than 60 percent of the units at the Praia have been sold since the waterfront luxury property’s presale last November. According to the project’s developer New Tenhon Limited, about 800 of its 1,288 units have been snatched up and prices have risen by 15 percent to HK$ 2,600 per square foot on average. The project will provide 1,288 two-bedroom and three-bedroom apartments with areas ranging from 938 to 1,239 square feet, and will feature a two-storey aqua-themed clubhouse covering an area of 180,000 square feet that will offer a host of indoor and outdoor leisure/sports facilities. The Praia has been hotly sought after by local homebuyers, who account for 60 percent of its sales; investors from Hong Kong make up 30 percent of its clientele. New Tenhon’s CEO, Liu Hei Wan, believes the surge in demand for higher-end housing among the local population is in line with the booming economy and rising wages.

Macau to study Singapore property policies
The Secretary for Transport and Public Works, Mr Lau Si Io, recently visited  Singapore to study its housing policies to help formulate a model for Macau. More specifically, the Macau government will be looking at Singapore’s policies that give priority to first-time home-buyers in order to nurture nuclear families. During the five-day trip to Singapore, the Macau delegation also visited the Housing Development Board, Light Rail Transit, Land Transport Authorities and Urban Redevelopment Authority to sample lessons on infrastructural development and other issues of urban planning.

Kingsway Hotel to be remodeled
Hong Kong architect Steve Leung Chitien and Riche Multi-Media Holdings have formed a HK$ 200 million joint venture called Best Season Holdings Corp to redevelop Macau’s casinos and residential buildings. The 383 room, 3-star Kingsway Hotel will be among the first projects to be tackled. It will be re-launched as a mid-range boutique hotel.  Riche has also signed a letter of intent with China Star, a major stake-holder in the property. In March, Li Chi-keung purchased a 49 percent share of the Kingsway for HK$ 308.7 million. Stanley Ho owns a 1 percent share. Ho’s SJM-Investimentos (SJMI) may build a 100,000 square casino annex with 50 tables next to the hotel on what is currently a car lot.

Mainland real-estate still loose
Despite the announcement of tighter regulations for property purchases by non-mainlanders, Chinese cities have yet to fully implement the measures, according to reports. Which means the field day continues for buyers from Macau, Hong Kong and Taiwan in cities such as Guangzhou and Shenzhen. Its been harder for them to buy in Beijing, though, which saw luxury apartment sales fall 12 percent. In Shanghai, residents of Macau, Hong Kong and Taiwan are not required to abide by a one-year-residence policy before buying, but are restricted to owning one single unit for personal use.

Capital Estate cuts HK$ 160 million for Fortuna
Capital Estate recently announced a HK$ 160 million deal to acquire an additional 22.5 percent stake in Macau’s Hotel Fortuna. They plunked down HK$ 80 million in cash upon signing the agreement with the owner, Tin Fok Holding. Analysts say the deal is a discount because the property was valued at HK$ 990 million as of December 2006. Last year, Capital purchased 10 percent of the Fortuna. It will pay the remaining HK$ 80 million once the deal is finalised.

PRD air travel
Pearl River Delta (PRD) air travelers now have a new way to deal with the delta. Hong Kong head-quartered Aviation Asia Limited has set-up a joint venture in Shenzhen with Shenzhen Airlines and the National Trust & Investments Ltd., a Beijing based company. The company will create business flights, aircraft administration, leasing,  and ground services for planes based at Shenzhen’s Baoan International Airport. It will cater to customers in Macau, Hong Kong, the mainland and Southeast Asia.  Travelers can fly on G-200 and G-450 aircrafts, medium-and high-grade aircraft models, all of which are provided by Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation, a subsidiary of General Dynamics Corporation. They will have about 15-20 in the next two years.

Conde Nast toasts Wynn
Macau’s Wynn is in. So says CondŽ Nast Traveler magazine, which put the integrated resort on its “2007 Hot List”. It included the Wynn as only one of seven hotels in China, noting the lobby’s scarlet chandelier and spacious standard rooms. Ristorante Il Teatro was listed as one of the world’s top 95 restaurants. It is one of the top nine restaurants in China, including Hong Kong. Celebrated dishes they pointed out included the roast Australian Wagyu sirloin “tagliata” as well as views of the lake and fountain show.

Visitor and consumer expenditures up
Per capita visitor expenditures for Q1 2007 stood at MOP 1,649 (US$ 206), a year-on-year rise of six percent. The Macau Statistics and Census Service (SCS) said visitors from the Chinese mainland took the lead from January to March, with MOP 3,192 (US$ 399). In the same period, per-capita shopping rose 2 percent year-on-year to  MOP 757 (US$ 94.625) and non-shopping spending hit MOP 892 (US$ 111) for a nine percent year-on-year rise. Meanwhile, the composite consumer price index (CCPI) for Macau rose from 0.59 in March to 112.58 in April, according to government reports. The hike occurred in housing, food, utensils and clothing, said the Macau SCS.

US$ 5 billion for Macau tourism
The Asia Pacific Tourism Association (PATA) is forecasting that Macau will see US$ 5 billion in tourism revenue over the next three years. The figures are part of a larger prediction by PATA that 18 Asia-Pacific destinations will see more than US$ 110 billion during the same period. China will lead the way at US$ 36 billion. Three other big beneficiaries are Thailand at US$ 13 billion and Malaysia at US$ 11 billion and South Korea at US$ 7 billion.

Piaget makes Macau designs
Inspired by Macau’s casino boom, Piaget has created the Limelight Party Collection of watches and jewelry that incorporate gambling in their theme. They’ve made a pendant-watch shaped like a casino chip with diamond dice on one line. Another design includes hoop earrings with luminescent sequins. The products are designed to coincide with the opening of Piaget’s first boutique in Macau.

East Star flies to Macau
China’s fourth privately-owned carrier, East Star Airlines, has been approved to fly from Wuhan to Macau. Based in Hubei, East Star will start landing in Macau in Q3 2007, as well as in Hong Kong. Hubei is one of the few Chinese provinces that permits a sports lottery. The carrier will eventually expand into South East Asia. Opened in 2005, the carrier currently has a revenue of RMB 281 million. It also operates in Shanghai, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Haikou, Hangzhou, Guilin, Chongqing, Xi’an, Shenyang, Tianjin, Qingdao, Dalian, Changde, and Sanya.

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