Sands China Ltd, a majority-owned subsidiary of global resort developer Las Vegas Sands Corp., says its Cotai Strip® CotaiJet ferry operation has been issued a 10-year licence to operate its ferries between Macau and Hong Kong under the new licensing regime approved by the Macau SAR government.
The licence also increases the number of routes the CotaiJet service can use, including the addition of several daily roundtrip sailings between the Hong Kong International Airport and the Taipa Ferry Terminal—which is located just minutes from the company’s properties on the Cotai Strip®.
“Opening new routes and increasing capacity from Hong Kong to Macau will facilitate the growth of the meetings, incentive, convention, and exhibition business by seamlessly linking the Hong Kong airport and other points of arrival and departure to the Cotai Strip,” said Steve Jacobs, chief executive officer of Sands China Ltd.
“The additional routes will also provide substantial flexibility for our guests coming to enjoy one of the many live entertainment acts featured at the CotaiArena®. Our company is committed to helping the government diversify Macau’s economy and our ability to bring more and more people to Macau, whether to attend a meeting or convention or see a live performance, will have a dramatic impact on those diversification efforts.”
The CotaiJet ferry service has run daily roundtrip sailings between the Ferry Terminal in Hong Kong and the Taipa Ferry Terminal in Macau since it began operating in late 2007.
Under the new licence, CotaiJet can operate up to 35-daily roundtrip sailings between the Hong Kong Ferry Terminal and the Taipa Ferry Terminal.
The daily breakdown of routes under the new permit is as follows:
- • six roundtrip sailings between the Hong Kong International Airport and the Taipa Ferry Terminal;
- • six roundtrips between the Hong Kong International Airport and the Outer Harbour Ferry Terminal on the Macau peninsula;
- • three roundtrip sailings each between the China Ferry Terminal in Kowloon, Hong Kong and the Taipa and Outer Harbour terminals;
- • and two daily roundtrip sailings between the Ferry Terminal in Hong Kong and the Outer Harbour Ferry Terminal.
CotaiJet’s service had a choppy start. One month after launching its original Hong Kong to Taipa route in November 2007, its boats were suspended from sailing after an injunction by a potential rival for the route. By January, the injunction had been removed and services resumed.
