Inside Asian Gaming

March 2015 inside asian gaming 13 Cover Story place. Mr Fischer attributes Macau’s poor placing to a hotel supply bottleneck and lack of attractions, but points out “That is set to change with the new integrated resorts and the HK-Macau-Zhuhai bridge substantially improving the tourist capacity of the city. The desire to travel to Macau will also improve as each new integrated resort is expected to bring multiple non-gaming attractions to the table, which should change tourist’s perception that Macau offers nothing more than casinos.” As Chinese travelers become increasingly discerning in their choice of holiday destinations, it behooves Macau’s casino operators to invest heavily in non-gaming amenities to ensure the city retains its allure. The offering that worked in the past—the opportunity to place a legal bet on baccarat along with whatever patriotic sentiment is engendered by visiting a city recently reunited with the motherland after four and a half centuries of colonial rule—simply might not cut it for the growing legions of sophisticated middle-class Chinese, for whom Japan, France and Korea rank as the top three aspirational places to visit. But importantly, this demographic is also one that can actually recognize what Las Vegas-style dining and entertainment is and be willing to pay a premium for it. If the new Cotai resorts succeed in creating a critical mass of Vegas-style offerings, the Westernized Generation 2 cohort could reasonably be expected to flock to Macau as they come of age. Critical mass will be key. It is the sheer volume of the dining and entertainment on offer in Las Vegas that makes it a go-to destination for gourmands and clubgoers in the US, and supports its position Source: Euromonitor, CEIC, CLSA Although non-gaming attractions were always going to be a big component of the resorts currently under construction on Cotai, previously, when gaming was looking so strong, the non-gaming elements might have been conceived in some instances as loss leaders that drive traffic to the casino. ... While Hong Kong Sees the Biggest Loss | Mainland Chinese outbound tourists by destination