The Macau Metro Monitor, March 27, 2013

SINGAPORE EXPECTS SLOWER RISE IN VISITORS THIS YEAR AsiaOne

Singapore expects overseas visitor arrivals to grow at a slower pace of between 2.8% and 7.6% this year, hurt by a tight domestic labour market that has made it harder for firms to expand, the Singapore Tourism Board said.

The city-state hopes to attract 14.8 to 15.5 million visitors this year, which is an increase from last year's estimated 14.4 million, STB said.  Visitor arrivals rose by 9.1% in 2012 over 2011, while tourism receipts grew around 3% to S$23 billion.

WYNN MACAU FINED MOP20,000 FOR PRIVACY BREACH Macau Business

Wynn Macau was fined MOP20,000 (US$2,500) for breaching the privacy law by publicly disclosing the personal information of hotel guests.  The Personal Data Protection Office said yesterday that the gaming operator has already paid two MOP10,000 fines for breaching two principles regarding the handling of personal data.  The case refers to an investigation launched by Wynn Resorts in late 2011 into its former shareholder Kazuo Okada.


Wynn Macau disclosed “sensitive data” of its hotel customers to a third party, which was “already beyond the reasonable expectation of the hotel customers”, the office said in its annual report.  The gaming operator also failed to get the regulator’s approval before transferring data outside Macau, to the United States where its parent company Wynn Resorts Ltd is based, the office added yesterday.  

OVER 113,000 IMPORTED WORKERS IN FEBRUARY Macau Business
The total number of non-resident workers in Macau stood at 113,276, up by 13% YoY in February.  The majority – over 68,000 – came from the mainland.


The hospitality sector was the number one employer of imported labour, accounting for over 30% of the total. The number of imported workers is expected to continue going up, as several new casino projects in Cotai are in the pipeline.  The number of imported workers surpassed the 110,000-mark for the first time in November.

EMPLOYMENT SURVEY FOR DECEMBER 2012-FEBRUARY 2013 DSEC

Macau unemployment rate (1.9%) held stable as the previous period (November 2012-January 2013).