Inside Asian Gaming

inside asian gaming April 2015 10 Feature In Focus relieve overcrowding and spread the benefits of tourism more widely. MGTO has developed eight walking tour routes and arranged cultural performances along the routes. According to IFT’s Mr Wong, the walking tour routes underscore a glaring flaw in MGTO’s strategy. “I do not feel that the government is working with the casino operators in attracting more visitors from beyond China. Rather, the government seems to be doing the opposite,” he says. “The eight walking tour routes are an excellent example. There is a clear segregation of the tourism products along each route away from the casino areas.” He believes the walking routes would be more compelling and logical if they included casinos. “What we should do [to] advance our marketing efforts in Macau is not to segregate casinos but to make them [part of] an integrated and attractive product,” Mr Wong says. “What I would suggest is to leverage all the attractions, including casinos, shopping facilities, museums, heritage sites, to provide tourists a more integrated and complete travel experience.” Ignoring casinos plays away from Macau’s greatest strength, Mr Wong believes. “We are among the best in casinos in terms of scale and number. But we are not utilizing that in our marketing plan and promotion strategy. On the contrary, we are promoting things that are not very attractive relative to other destinations.” Mr Wong realizes embracing casinos may be as difficult as it seems obvious. “I understand that the government—both Macau and mainland China—do not want to promote gambling. However, many tourists do like to visit casinos, even though they may not like gambling. And casinos are very attractive to tourists, especially mainland Chinese.” He notes that Singapore, which keeps a close eye on anything that smacks of casino marketing, features a photograph of the Merlion, its national symbol, in front of the triple towers of Marina Bay Sands in tourism promotion materials. “MGTO is putting a lot of effort into promoting Macau overseas. Yet, it is not a promotion/communication issue,” Mr Wong, who earned his PhD in communications and information services, claims, it’s a product issue. “Our tourism products, perhaps other than the casinos, are not attractive compared to the tourism products from other destinations.” The Macau government’s 2014 visitor survey bears that out: tourist attractions got a satisfaction rating of 40.4%, the lowest of any category. Next worst was public transport at 65.6%, and Mr Wong notes that Macau’s government wants to curb casino shuttles, which, in his research, tourists rate as Macau’s best transport option. “The key here is that we have to be the No. 1 in something. And the only way we can achieve that is through developing more and better casino facilities,” Mr Wong says, particularly since Macau faces greater gaming competition from destinations such as South Korea. “What Macau should do is to leverage its strength to develop more casinos—not necessarily [featuring] gambling and the gaming floor—with more entertainment facilities and options. Shopping, dining, shows and events, and heritage and cultural attractions in Macau are wonderful options. We must utilize these existing tourism products to create a more complete experience for tourists, especially non-Chinese tourists, and to leverage the strengths from the casinos,” Mr Wong says, including state of the art architecture and interior design, round the clock operation and entertainment options for adults, families and children. “In essence, casinos should be built like a theme park and a vacation wonderland. We have witnessed the difference between the contemporary integrated casinos, for example, Venetian Macao, and the older ones. Think about Vegas. I think Macau will soon follow the footsteps of Vegas.” Of course, Las Vegas first thrived relying on visitors from nearby California and has since grown into an international destination. Editor at large Muhammad Cohen also blogs for Forbes on gaming throughout Asia and wrote “Hong Kong On Air,” a novel set during the 1997 handover about TV news, love, betrayal, high finance and cheap lingerie. On the negative side, the ferry ride isn’t a great experience, often concluding with long waits at immigration, particularly in Macau. On the positive side, Macau offers a unique history and culture with singular attractions from museums to graveyards. “If you hunt around, it can be a very pleasant tourism and dining experience,” says Spectrum Asia’s Paul Bromberg. By staging major sporting and entertainment events, Macau can widen its international appeal.