During Golden Week in Macau, Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng told reporters he’s pleased with the progress made by the city’s casino operators to develop more non-gaming offerings. The local government has set a goal to reduce the city’s reliance on gaming as an economic foundation and use non-gaming attractions to boost international tourism.
According to Macau Business, Ho said each of the Big 6 casino operators are in compliance with agreements they made to build non-gaming attractions to amend the city’s reputation as primarily a gaming enclave for people from the Chinese mainland. Those commitments were required as part of the concessionaires’ new 10-year operating agreements, which took effect on January 1.
The city wants to become a center of medicine, culture, gastronomy, and meetings and conventions, among other goals. Each casino concessionaire has formed teams to increase their contributions to the non-gaming sector, Ho said.
There’s a long way to go to make Macau a truly global destination, he added. Some 11.6 million people visited Macau in the first half 2023, but fewer than a half million were considered international travelers.
