Gambling revenue is down, but Macau tourism is doing better than ever.
In a year in which the casinos saw their take from tables and slots fall year on year for the first time in the post-monopoly era, the city welcomed 31.5 million visitors in 2014, an increase of 7.5%, according to official figures, prompting Macau’s tourism chief to remark, “We are thrilled to know tourists don’t necessarily come here to gamble.”
“The growing momentum of mainland tourists was especially strong,” added Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, director of the Macau Government Tourist Office, speaking to the South China Morning Post.
Travel from mainland China, the city’s largest feeder market by far, was up 14.1% over 2013 to 21 million, while arrivals from Hong Kong, the second-biggest source market, continued their downward trend of recent years, falling 5% to 6.4 million.
International visitors dropped slightly by 1.1%, offset somewhat by travel from South Korea, which grew at a robust 16.9% to surpass 550,000 visitors.
Significantly, non-gambling spend was up 5% over the year, and Ms Senna Fernandes said her office will continue to promote the diversification of Macau as a destination, ramping up promotion in mainland cities, especially those beyond Guangdong.
“Many of them still link Macau to gambling,” she said.
In support of this effort the city will add several thousand hotel rooms this year, mostly via the opening of two new resort casinos on Cotai, Melco Crown Entertainment’s Studio City and Galaxy Entertainment’s expanded Galaxy Macau.
In addition, 13 establishments have filed applications for licenses to provide a further 2,700 rooms, she said, adding that occupancy in the city currently is running at 90%.
She said the MGTO also is developing a tourism master plan, which is expected to be completed in two years.
