Japanese tennis champion Naomi Osaka has been named brand ambassador and sports group director for Melco Resorts & Entertainment’s integrated resort (IR) bid in Yokohama.
“Being director of sports for Melco and having the chance to contribute to the content of the resort in Yokohama is amazing,” Osaka said. “Together we will be able to better integrate sport, health, and wellness into the concept.”
Melco Chairman and CEO Lawrence Ho also announced the establishment of the Melco Creative Exchange (MCX), a JPY27 billion (US$250 million) investment fund to create premium tourist destinations in Japan, among them, a hot spring facility in Hakone and a ski resort in Nagano. These facilities will be built whether or not Melco’s Yokohama IR bid is successful, Ho told Asia Gaming Brief.
Ho said his company aims to “underpromise” and “overdeliver” by creating a world-leading IR, and said Yokohama is better suited to that vision than Osaka. He also indicated that the Osaka government’s desire to open the Yumeshima IR before the 2025 World Expo was too ambitious. MGM Resorts International has committed itself to fast-tracking an Osaka IR and opening it as early as 2024.
