Inside Asian Gaming

AUGUST 2018 INSIDE ASIAN GAMING 33 In 2017, Macau Government data showed that 85% of its total taxation revenue came directly from the gaming industry, compared to less than 50% during the handover in 1999. COLUMNISTS Globally, the stewardship of a dynamic and healthy tourism industry is one built on public support and trust through a transparent consultative process. This collaborative and equitable approach can take time to collect and assess feedback, but also presents an opportunity for important historical data to be gathered from Macau’s tourism and hospitality stakeholders – be they casino concessionaires, small businesses or individuals – as well as gathering regional perspectives on issues such as destination competitiveness and Macau’s brand image impact. When I started working in Macau’s gaming industry in the late 1990s and later researching and consulting on Macau’s gaming industry during the liberalization period, I had to reach out to global sources and jurisdictions in an attempt to make assessments in the Macau setting. Twenty years on, the many issues relating to the economics, social, political and legislative impacts (and complex topics requiring much greater analysis and discussion outside this brief article) of Macau’s casino tourism development have cultivated their own extensive body of knowledge. The journey that the Cotai Strip takes after 2020, and particularly the tone set by the upcoming re-tendering process, should be one that reflects upon these lessons learnt.