To say that the business and leisure tourism industries in Macau are flourishing would be an understatement. Year-on-year the number of visitors to this special administrative region of the People’s Republic of China are increasing – a record 18 million in 2005 (a 12 per cent increase on the previous year), and almost 22 million in 2006.
The rapid development and opening of new hotels, large meeting venues and other tourism infrastructures shows just how serious Macau is about nurturing the business tourism industry.
There’s no ignoring Macau’s biggest drawcard, its gaming and entertainment industry. With the opening of the Sands Macau, the largest casino in the world as measured by total number of table games, in 2004 and Wynn Macau in 2006, gambling revenues from Macau’s casinos were for the first time greater than those of Las Vegas Strip (each about $6 billion), making Macau the highest-volume gambling centre in the world.
But while Macau’s gaming and entertainment industry gets a lot of attention, it is also very focused on protecting its rich historic legacy, aiming to build Macau as a city of culture.
Reverting to the administration of the People’s Republic of China in 1999, after centuries of Portuguese settlement, Macau has the ability to draw on its unique history, fusing east and west influences together in its culture, cuisine and its calendar of events. It’s this multiculturalism, combined with Macau’s accessibility by plane (or a one-hour journey from Hong Kong by ferry) and its world-class facilities that makes the destination a winner with Australian event planners. In fact, the Australian market has become Macau’s 10th main source of visitors. In 2005, close to 62,000 Australian visitors went to Macau, more than 46 per cent of the total number of arrivals. This number has since continued to rise year-on-year.
To boost Macau’s presence and help transform it into a strong business travel destination, the Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO) opened the Macau Business Tourism Centre in March 2006, appointing Gary Grimmer, former CEO of the Melbourne Convention & Visitors Bureau (MCVB), as their consultant. The office has proven very successful in generating interest in the destination, and recently booked its first major convention for Macau since its opening last year.
The 11th Asia Pacific Life Insurance Congress has been secured, a convention that will be attended by more than 8000 people, making it the largest convention ever booked to the city. The organisers of the convention, the Asia Pacific Financial Services Association (APFinSA), have chosen Macau to host its annual gathering in April 2009, after a site inspection which was coordinated by the Macau Business Tourism Centre.
MGTO director, João Manuel Costa Antunes said that the news is a good start for the Macau Business Tourism Centre.
“Macau is honoured to be chosen to host such a prestigious event that has been rotating throughout the Asia-Pacific,” he said.
“This is one of the largest conventions being held every year in the Asian region – it is a very big win and its impacts will be felt all over the city.”
Due to open shortly, The Venetian Macao-Resort-Hotel is the first in a string of casinos and hotels slated to be opened before 2009, including the MGM Grand Macau, Far East Consortium Complex, the Four Seasons (2008), Galaxy Cotai Megaresort (2008), the underwater casino City of Dreams (2008), Oceanus (2008), and Mandarin Oriental Lago Nam Van (2009).
Once completed, The Venetian Macao-Resort-Hotel will be the 40-storey cornerstone of the mega-tourism development on The Cotai Strip. As a truly integrated resort, it will boast 3000 suites, a shopping mall with 350 exclusive brands and 20 restaurants. It will also feature a 100,000 square metre convention and exhibition centre, plus 550,000 square feet of casino space, and a 15,000 seat arena. Other attractions include gondola rides down three Venetian canals, luxurious spa facilities and world-class shows and exhibitions.
When most museums would be closing, the Macau Wine Museum is flinging its doors wide open to welcome events such as cocktails, dinners and wine tasting, offering groups a genuine trip through the world of wine.
Organised by the Macau Government Tourist Office, the entity overseeing the museum or by private initiatives, events taking place at the Wine Museum follow a special tradition. During these occasions, wine takes the centre stage. Different kinds of wines are presented for tasting, mainly Portuguese, and the host will take the opportunity to introduce the wines and the museum.
“The Wine Museum is a one-of-a-kind place which has a lot to do with Macau’s multiculturalism,” Macau Wine Museum curator, José Braga Gonçalves said.
The museum occupies approximately 1400 square metres of space, and includes a wine cellar, museum space, and exhibition space. Many events begin with a museum tour, then a wine tasting session followed by dinner.
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