The Macau Government Tourism Office (MGTO) plans to hold a food and cultural market in Zona Nova de Aterros do Porto Exterior (NAPE) in mid-August, aimed at promoting the transformation of an area that has expressed concern over the impact of the impending closure of its satellite casinos
Cheng Wai Tong, Deputy Director of the MGTO, revealed the latest developments during a media interview on Monday evening, stating that the MGTO plans to hold a food and cultural and creative community market in the NAPE area on 15 August.
“The market will last for 10 days and aims to showcase the unique characteristics of the NAPE area and attract tourists,” he said.
“The market will be held in the area around Guangzhou Street, Beijing Street and Shanghai Street in the NAPE area.”
Cheng added that there will be food stalls and cultural and creative exhibition booths, while some Southeast Asian specialties will be introduced to create a “local and exotic atmosphere”.
Eleven satellite casinos in Macau will close by the end of this year, with SJM’s Grandview Casino having already shut its doors on 31 July. The government has also announced that it will introduce different elements to the NAPE area, including IP installations and a market, in order to gradually promote the transformation of the community.
There are currently two satellite casinos in the area between Guangzhou Street and Beijing Street, namely the Landmark Casino and Fortuna Casino. Businesses around the casinos recently held a joint press conference to ask the government to resolve a series of issues arising from the closure of the satellite casinos.
Cheng pointed out, “NAPE is a special area with nearly 20 hotels and satellite casinos, so it is not a typical community tourism area.
“This is the first time the district has held a community event, so the government will closely monitor the entire process. We will continue to invest in the transformation of the entire community in the long term.”
In response to the government’s proposal to set up a market, the operator of a local restaurant expressed support but admitted he wasn’t sure if such measures can truly mitigate the negative impact of the satellite casino closures.
“The government’s initiatives would certainly be helpful, but whether they would have a significant impact … this is the first time, so it’s hard to assess at this stage,” they told IAG. “But we hope the government can promote the events more extensively, not only to attract more people to the area but also to foster greater collaboration with local businesses.”
