The tourism authorities of Zhongshan, Zhuhai and Macau held a work meeting to set promotional and marketing objectives for 2008. The three cities agreed to join forces to organize promotional activities in Korea and the US to enhance the cities’ profile as a regional with the aim to attract more overseas visitors

The bureaus will also intensify efforts to promote the Zhongshan, Zhuhai and Macau tourist products in the Mainland while continuing to strengthen exchanges and cooperation in other tourism aspects including employing various promotional tools and improving industry management.

AP is carrying a story concerning the impact of Macau tourism (and gaming) on that great institution of Hong Kong gaming -- the 124-year-old Hong Kong Jockey Club, whose racetrack revenues are one of the secrets of the territory's economic success.

According to AP, the new competitors are draining away at least $2.4 billion a year in potential betting revenue, or about 20 percent of last year's take.

>>read the full story

The pound is falling, shares are collapsing, mortgages are rising, pay increases are being capped and city bonuses deflated - while the price of fuel and food has soared. If you can afford a holiday at all this year, you'll probably be keeping a careful eye on your budget.

Good thing the Telegraph has put together a list of 50 ways to a cheaper holiday!

>>read the full story

The TimesOnline advises readers to "Bet on Macau" for 2008, naming the island enclave as one its top picks for the up coming year. Expect to see Macau on a number of this years travel picks as the rest of the world wakes up to the potential.

>>read the original article

The Venetian's new ferry service is slated to kick off on November 30th.

The 411-seat, double-deck Cotai Strip CotaiJets will go from the Hong Kong Macau Ferry Terminal direct to the new terminal in Taipa, bypassing the old ferry terminal on the Macau peninsula.

While the new service may not be popular with its old school competitors, you can bet that the tourists won't be complaining. So come on over to Macau; it's never been easier.

Money Cat says: Get your butt on the boat!

The South China Morning Post is reporting today on the ongoing woes of Macau's over-tasked ferry system. The transportation demand resulting from today's Pete Sampras / Roger Federer tennis match has exceeded ferry capacity to/from Hong Kong. Ferries are sold out and a number of ticket holders and un-suspecting tourists are stuck.

This newest problem comes right on the heels of the problems experienced after the Macau Grand Prix and the recent Black-Eyed Peas concert, which found many people unexpectedly having to spend an extra night in Macau due to lack of space on the ferries.

A failed or neglected city springs to mind when walking around Macau during the day time. Around the outskirts of the Islands the doors of modern buildings never seem to open. Hotel restaurants tend to sole customers with reluctance: public gardens remain empty except for the lone tramp rooting around in the bins, roads remain unsullied with tyre tracks and the silence is loud all around. Inside and up the hill cracked and uneven pathways run along to meet the next, weeds compliment the falling cement on graying walls.

Like everyone else creating content about Macau these days, we've been confronted with the usage question -- what's the right way to spell the name? Macau? or Macao?

It's actually more complicated than it may seem...

Choosing Sides

There's a lot of division on this subject. Even the big names in the news industry can't seem to agree. The Washington Post: Macau. The New York Times: Macao. The Associated Press: Macau.

Situated 60 kilometers west of Hong Kong on the Chinese mainland, Macau was colonized by the Portuguese in the 16th century, and the Portuguese influence is evident to this day. In fact it was in 1553 that Portugal established a trading post in Macau, as a center for trading with China, Japan and areas of South East Asia. It was the first settlement that Europeans established in the Far East.