Macao is bracing for a casino revival following a World Cup slump that saw operators post disappointing second-quarter results, as tourist numbers rise and expansion projects are underway.
Per data from Macau International Airport, almost 3.9 million passengers used the air terminal in the first six months of the year, the Japanese-language, Macao-based newspaper Macau Shimbun reported.
That represents a rise of nearly 8% on the same period last year.
August Uptick Incoming
The authorities are bracing for a further uptick in visitor numbers throughout August, with the operator of the Macao-Hong Kong Airport direct shuttle service announcing additional services for the remainder of the month.
The operator is also launching a new luxury car service, officials told the Chinese language-newspaper Macao Daily.
It will provide 22% more services for August, with further upward adjustments possible if passenger volumes rise. These could include overnight services, the operator said.
The luxury car service, meanwhile, will cater to VIP customers, the lifeblood of Macao’s casino sector.
Officials said VIP customers will be greeted by staff, who will assist with baggage handling and guide them through a dedicated fast-track immigration lane before transferring them to a seven-seater private car for direct transport to their destinations in Macao.
City officials have also launched two new express bus lines to help ease road traffic in Macao.
And police officials have begun asking passengers using the Hengqin Port to travel in off-peak hours when possible.
Casinos, meanwhile, claim they are looking forward to a profitable August. Late last month, the MGM China CEO Kenneth Feng said that post-World Cup casino receipts were “surpassing the levels of the first quarter.”
Feng also said the free-to-visit Poly MGM Museum is now averaging between 2,000 and 4,000 visitors per day.
This, he added, makes it the most-visited museum in the Asia-Pacific region in terms of visitor flow per unit area.
Macao Casino Revival: Construction Projects Underway
The tourist and casino industries have responded with a flurry of new construction projects.
These are set to boost the number of hotels in the special administrative region by 12, adding a total of 1,500 rooms.
Larger casinos in the Cotai and New Port areas account for the bulk of expansion projects, according to data from the Macao Land and Construction Bureau.
One of the hotels is already under development, with architects finalizing the remaining 11. The construction boom reflects a rise in demand. The average hotel occupancy rate for the period from January to May this year rose by 2.2%.
Occupancy rates currently stand at almost 92%, per official data.
Macao Peninsula is set for the largest expansion, with a 131-room hotel nearing completion. Plans are afoot to build eight more hotels in the casino hotspot, adding almost 1,000 rooms in total.
Ground is yet to break on three more hotels in the Cotai District, Macao’s other big casino hub. But constructors have permission to add hotels totaling 432 rooms, the same data shows.
Investors in Macao casino operators’ stock appeared mainly untroubled by sluggish second-quarter reports from the likes of Sands China.
The operator posted a 0.8% year-on-year drop in total net revenues last month to $1.78 billion.
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Macao is bracing for a casino revival following a World Cup slump that saw operators post disappointing second-quarter results, as tourist numbers rise and expansion projects are underway. Per data from Macau International Airport, almost 3.9 million passengers used the air terminal in the first six months of the year, the Japanese-language, Macao-based newspaper Macau
The post Macao Casino Revival in the Cards as Tourist Numbers Balloon appeared first on CasinoBeats.