The first meeting of a committee of experts to work on an area development plan to be submitted to the central government for Nagasaki’s IR project kicked off on 22 September, according to Nagasaki International TV.
The expert committee was established to collect opinions for drafting an area development plan to be submitted to the central government and includes nine experts in tourism, transport and problem gaming.
Casinos Austria International Japan (CAIJ), who were selected to construct and operate the facility and signed a basic agreement with the prefecture on 30 August, participated in the meeting. CAIJ explained their vision for the facility and the anticipated economic ripple effect for the Kyushu area. Nagasaki and CAIJ will consider the expert opinion and present their area development plan draft in November.
The Nagasaki Prefectural Assembly also announced on that gross revenue from the casino element of its integrated resort was expected to total around JPY 150 billion (US$1.36 billion) annually, of which 15% or JPY 22.5 billion (US$204 million) would be payable to the prefecture.
An entry fee of JPY 6,000 is also planned to be charged to Japanese residents, of which half would be payable to the prefecture, raising approximately JPY 8.4 billion (US$76 million) according to government estimates.
CAIJ estimates that the total project cost will be JPY 350 billion (US$3.17 billion) and the total number of visitors per year will be 8.4 million.
Under the concept of “Fusing East and West Cultures – Realizing a True Japanese-Western Blend”, the prefecture hopes to, “Inherit the historical culture of Kyushu and Nagasaki, realizing a ‘tourism industry revolution’ with a traditional high-end IR facility leveraging the strengths of the Austrian state-owned group and Nagasaki as a focus and aiming to be an international city where Kyushu, Japan, Asia and the world meet.”
