The number of Chinese visitors to Macau will reach 34 million by 2025, driven by the “competitive advantage” provided by the city’s casino industry.
In the latest of a series of reports titled China Abroad, which examine the implications of Chinese outbound travel over the next decade, brokerage Sanford C Bernstein predicts visitor numbers from mainland China will grow by almost 66% over the next eight years from around 20.5 million visitors in 2017.
The surge will be aided by ongoing diversification efforts to bolster the “holiday experience,” improved infrastructure and increased hotel room capacity, however it is Macau’s casinos that will continue to set it apart from other destinations.
“Macau has become one of the most important outbound tourism destinations for Chinese visitors, driven by the gaming industry monopoly in Greater China,” the report says.
“While reasons for visiting Macau may be varied, gaming is the primary reason for the vast majority of visitors – Macau remains the easiest and most accessible destination for Chinese visitors to visit casinos. Aside from gaming, other reasons to visit Macau include: dining, sightseeing and shopping – areas which Macau continues to develop and improve.”
Notably, Bernstein observes that Chinese visitors to Macau are not looking to only gamble, with 36% of visitors identifying dining and 23% shopping as a major reason to visit. However, the presence of gaming remains an important factor in their decision because, “Chinese customers like to travel and partake in gaming – and Macau continues to offer opportunities for both.
“Chinese visitors to Macau are serious casino gamers,” it said. “In survey work we have done with Chinese customers of Macau casinos, over 60% of customers would spend more than three hours per day in the casinos, with the average customer spending 4.7 hours per day on gaming.
“A Chinese customers’ rationale for gaming is mixed – ‘to challenge luck’ and to have ‘fun/entertainment’ are two major reasons for gaming.”
Bernstein predicts Macau’s annual gross gaming revenue will reach US$38.5 billion by 2020.
