MGM China CEO and Executive Director Grant Bowie says there has never been a better time for Macau’s concessionaires to refocus their energies on quality over quantity as they prepare for a post-COVID recovery.
His comments reference growing tensions between Macau locals and tourists in recent years due to the growing number of arrivals, which numbered a record 39.4 million in 2019.
While border restrictions implemented in response to COVID-19 have since seen visitor numbers fall to a trickle, Bowie said old problems would only resurface in time if operators don’t work to adjust their customer strategies.
“I think we’ve got to because with any tourism destination, there is always this amazing relationship between the local population and the tourists, and we see it over and over again where the tension gets to breaking point and then the local population feels they’ve lost their quality of life,” he said during Inside Asian Gaming’s inaugural GAME online event on Tuesday.
“There has certainly been a lot of conversation that all of the shuttle buses have done that.
“I think the bigger challenge is that a destination can only be truly successful when they focus on quality rather than quantity, because quantity creates too much tension in terms of the distribution network. So if there is anything that comes out of this, I would hope it is that we just reaffirm the quality of the Macau destination and the quality that we can produce.”
Bowie noted that an influx as large as 39 million visitors would create tension, leaving operators with a need to determine what a more sustainable volume might look like in terms of “high value, quality customers.
“That’s the debate we need to have,” he said. “If we get down that pathway then the issues we have seen in the past of transportation, connectivity and tension between the local population and tourists will be significantly reduced.
“It’s a pricing model rather than just a volume model.”
