By Tony Lai December 17, 2022
A high-tech amusement park, a garden-themed attraction inspired by Singapore’s Gardens by the Bay, a three-year residency show with Chinese pop stars, a medical check-up centre are among some of the MOP100-billion-plus (US$12.5-billion-plus) non-gaming offerings pledged by the city’s six gaming operators to develop in the next decade.
The announcement of these new facilities was advanced by senior executives of the operators in a joint press conference with Macau government officials on Saturday (today) morning, after the six incumbents formally inked their new 10-year concessions, which will begin on January 1, 2023, with the Macau Government.
Local units of MGM China Holdings Ltd, Galaxy Entertainment Group Ltd, Sands China Ltd, Melco Resorts and Entertainment Ltd, Wynn Macau Ltd and SJM Holdings Ltd have agreed to commit a total of MOP 108.7 billion in the development of non-gaming projects and exploring international feeder markets for Macau, alongside MOP 10.1 billion in gaming investments.
Secretary for Administration and Justice André Cheong Weng Chon, who is also the head of the committee for the public tender of new gaming concessions that has just concluded, stressed in the press briefing on Saturday that no new land parcels will be granted to the six gaming concessionaires despite their pledges to roll out more non-gaming offerings in the next 10 years.
MGM – High-end exhibition area and “Urban Oasis” landmark
Pansy Ho Chiu King, managing director of MGM Grand Paradise SA, MGM China’s local unit that holds the concession, said in the Saturday briefing that the operator would invest MOP16.7 billion in the city in the next decade, and 90 per cent of the investments, or MOP15 billion, would focus on non-gaming offerings.
The operator will “help build Macau into the city with the highest quality-price and price-performance ratio in Asia and establish the most diversified ‘toursim+’ ecosystem,” Ms Ho said.
The company plans to develop an “Urban Oasis” project, which is described as “Macau’s all-new landmark of health and wellness tourism with the concept of sustainable living art” and will provide “one-stop services combining wellness and medical offerings, including medical hydrotherapy, diet therapy, leisure and health management, medical tourism, and health assessment.”
MGM will also develop “a brand-new multi-functional conference and exhibition area with the introduction of scientific innovations,” which will come into operation in 2024.
Given the smaller size of MGM’s MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions) facilities when compared with the facilities of other local gaming operators, Ms Ho said the company will focus on exploring the aspects of meetings, incentives and conferences to attract high-end MICE visitors.
“While we might not be able to organise three large-scale exhibitions a year, we can host dozens of small-scale yet high-end meetings and conferences that can also rake in high revenue,” she explains.
MGM will also further cooperate with world-renowned artists, art institutions, and luxury brands to establish a so-called “incubator base for arts and cultural business industries” and develop a so-called “culture+business+industry” ecosystem.
The company will decide on a cultural business theme every year to guide its annual curatorial planning, creation, annual exhibitions, symposium and business activities, for instance, it has agreed to work with Chinese abstract artist Hsiao Chin on the theme of space expiration next year. The company will showcase Miao embroidery, one of China’s national intangible cultural heritage items, in 2024.
MGM will introduce a residency show called MGM 2049 in 2024 in collaboration with Chinese director Zhang Yimou and Beijing Dang Hong Qi Tian International Culture and Development Group Co Ltd, the virtual reality (VR) experience provider for the 2022 Winter Olympics, and the MGM Theatre will be upgraded with technical expansion to prepare for the show’s launch.
There will also be a new multimedia space in MGM in 2023, that integrates “art and entertainment experiences with XR interactive technology,” Ms Ho said.
In the support of community tourism, MGM will develop “A-Ma Weekend Night Market”, regular bazaars and craft markets at Barra on the Macau Peninsula, and propose to build a new maritime tourist area for the young generation near Hac Sa beach. In addition, “we will double down on our efforts to foster the MGM Macau International Regatta as a spotlight maritime sports event,”, the company said.
GEG — “First-and-only high-tech amusement park”
Galaxy Entertainment Group (GEG) has committed to invest MOP28.4 billion in the next 10 years for the development to enhance the services and facilities of its resorts in Macau, including MOP27.5 billion — or 96 per cent of the total commitment — in non-gaming offerings and exploring foreign customer markets, said its deputy chairman Francis Lui Yiu Tung on Saturday.
In a bid to draw non-Chinese travellers, the company plans to set up new overseas offices in Singapore, Thailand and South Korea, and launch an array of marketing initiatives targeting markets like Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia, India, the Philippines and Vietnam, the company said in the presentation.
For non-gaming facilities, GEG vows to develop a 61,000-square-metre “first-and-only high-tech amusement park” in Macau, which will incorporate multimedia, interactive, and multi-sensory technologies.
The company will also accelerate the development plan for a 4,000-seat music and performing-arts theatre, which will be “suitable for resident musical extravaganzas and acclaimed international performers.”
The construction of Galaxy Arena and Galaxy International Convention Center, as part of Phase 3 of Galaxy Macau, has been completed. According to GEG, the Galaxy Arena will invite top performers from Macau, Hong Kong, Mainland China and other parts of the world to stage performances, concerts, culture and arts shows, and others.
“As long as the [tourism] market has stabilised, these facilities will open with the launch of subsequent MICE and entertainment products,” Mr Lui said.
The operator also plans to build an art museum and auxiliary facilities of about 7,000 square metres that will incorporate immersive technologies, in addition to the existing GalaxyArt venue.
The company also said it would work on creating sports events, more dining options, and health and wellness products.
Sands China — New MICE facility and garden-themed attraction
Sands China Ltd has agreed to spend some MOP30 billion in the 2023-2032 period in Macau, including MOP27.8 billion in non-gaming projects that will appeal to international visitors, its president Wilfred Wong Ying Wai remarked on Saturday.
“Our vision, and the strategy we will use to guide us, will help the government reach its important goals of continuing to grow Macau into a world centre of tourism and leisure, promoting its economic and industrial diversification, and enhancing its international reputation,” he said.
According to the company’s presentation, Sands China will develop a new MICE facility of 18,000 square metres next to its existing Cotai Expo in The Venetian Macao. This new facility could expand “the company’s footprint of interconnected meeting space and enable the hosting of additional large-scale international MICE events”, the president remarked.
The operator will also transform its existing garden, Le Jardin, on the south of its property The Londoner Macao to “a new and internationally unique” garden-themed destination of 50,000 square metres. The new facility will feature “an iconic conservatory”, which will become a Macau landmark, Mr Wong said, adding this idea of transformation was inspired by Gardens by the Bay in Singapore and the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew in the United Kingdom.
There will also be “a meaningful reinvestment and upgrade of the Cotai Arena” at Venetian Macao for the operator to host more international-level entertainment and sporting events, Sands China added.
In regards to the company’s strategy of attracting overseas tourists, Mr Wong said the company will increase its network of international sales offices in Asia, the United States and Europe.
An annual large-scale international business exchange event – “Macao Showcase” – will also be held at Marina Bay Sands in Singapore “to elevate the exposure of Macao as a MICE tourism destination,” and the firm will target international customer markets including, South Korea, Japan, India, Southeast Asia and the US, he said.
Melco — Return of House of Dancing Water in 2024 and new medical clinic
Melco Resorts and Entertainment Ltd plans to invest MOP11.82 billion in the city in the next 10 years, including MOP10 billion in the non-gaming segment and exploring overseas travellers, said its chairman and chief executive Lawrence Ho Yau Lung on Saturday.
The executive highlighted that the company will allocate MOP1.91 billion in increasing foreign visitation to Macau and the MICE business. “Melco will leverage its MICE representative offices in Hong Kong, Singapore, Manila, and Cyprus to promote non-gaming amenities and the Macau SAR to attract international customers with a focus on Europe, the Middle East, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand,” Mr Ho said.
The company will also use its private jets to organise trips for high-end international travellers to the city, he added.
For non-gaming entertainment, The House of Dancing Water show, which has been suspended since 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, will return to Melco in late 2024. The company is also starting the so-called “Asia’s first ever residency shows” with Hong Kong pop singers Aaron Kwok, Leon Lai and Joey Yung, featuring a total of 90 shows between 2023 and 2025.
An iRad Polyclinic, catering medical diagnostic and imaging services like magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computer tomography scan (CT Scan), 2D and 3D mammography, ultrasound and X-ray, is slated to open in Studio City in 2024 in partnership with a Hong Kong entity.
“It will be the first and largest private imaging and medical check-up polyclinic in the Macau SAR, located in an integrated resort, and will be a comprehensive wellness body check-up destination with full-fledged medical offerings,” Melco said.
The existing Studio City Water Park will also be upgraded with the opening of an indoor water park in 2023, it added.
There will also be a new Cineplex at Studio City that will open in 2024 — boasting six theatres, one Imax theatre, and five Director’s Club theatres — and a skateboard park at Studio City also in 2024 that enables “the promotion of the Macau SAR as a sports friendly city”, the company also said.
Its other resort, City of Dreams Macau, will see the opening of the Splendors of China Museum in 2025, which will showcase China’s millennial culture and the most important chapters in China’s history.
Melco also intends to organise an international skateboard competition starting from 2025, and a technology, innovation and sustainability competition for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area starting in 2024.
Wynn Macau — New theatre, amusement centre and sculpture garden
Wynn Macau Ltd said on Saturday that it plans to invest MOP17.73 billion in expanding its offerings in Macau over the next decade, including MOP16.5 billion in non-gaming investments and other initiatives, , said its vice chairman and executive director Linda Chen on Saturday.
According to the presentation of Craig Jeffrey Fullalove, chief financial officer and chief administrative officer of Wynn Resorts (Macau) SA, in the press briefing, the local concession entity of Wynn Macau, the gaming operator plans to develop a new theatre that is “set to be the home of a unique spectacle show that Wynn will develop especially for Macau in support of world-class entertainment shows”.
The group will also develop “a themed, interactive and immersive centre” that offers experiential entertainment through state-of-the-art technology for all ages, and an “event and entertainment centre” that supports MICE events, sport events and entertainment shows, Mr Fullalove remarked.
An outdoor sculpture garden will also be established to house works of international artists and interactive installations, he added.
The company will also develop a new “international gastronomy destination dining venue”, which will become “a must-see tourist attraction” for gastronomy events and gatherings, he said.
In terms of attracting international travellers, Mr Fullalove said the company will leverage the other operations of Wynn Resorts — Wynn Macau’s parent firm — in Las Vegas, Boston and the United Arab Emirates, and expand its sales office network and representative agencies in overseas markets like Japan, Singapore, Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines, South Korea, Thailand, Malaysia, Canada, and the US.
“Wynn will also develop regional and international partnerships with airlines that service both Macau and Hong Kong, as well as explore charter and private flight services,” he said.
SJM – Revamp of Hotel Lisboa, Grand Lisboa, and transformation of floating casino
SJM Holdings Ltd has proposed a total investment of MOP14.03 billion in the 2023-2032 period, including MOP12 billion in non-gaming aspects, said its co-chairman and executive director Daisy Ho Chiu Fung on Saturday.
Among the pledged investments, SJM will invest a total of MOP2.5 billion to renovate its two flagship properties on the Macau Peninsula — Lisboa Hotel and the adjacent Grand Lisboa casino-hotel — to accommodate more non-gaming offerings.
The refurbishment of Grand Lisboa will be completed by 2024 and be ready in use a year later, while the renovation of Lisboa Hotel will be finished at the earliest in 2027, said Ms Ho, who, however, did not provide details when the renovation works will start and whether the two properties will suspend operation during the works.
The company will also invite professionals and specialists to revitalise and renovate its now-defunct floating casino, Macau Palace, which will be located at No.14 Pier at the Inner Harbour area, she said. After revitalisation, Macau Palace will no longer be a casino but a home to dining and retail offerings and a gaming culture museum, she added.
In addition to the gaming history museum, SJM will also develop two more museums at its properties, including an art and culture pavilion with The Lisboa Story as its inaugural exhibition that showcases an exquisite trove of antiquities and artefacts collected by SJM and its parent firm STDM over the decades. The other museum will display tools and equipment used in the history of gambling in Macau.
Ms Ho also stated that the MICE facilities at SJM’s Cotai resort, Grand Lisboa Palace, will be upgraded with the addition of a new garden-themed venue to cater for small and medium-sized events.
Community tourism is also a main focus of SJM’s 10-year blueprint, given the location of its two flagship properties on the Macau Peninsula. Ms Ho said the group has proposed to launch a “Macau Historic Centre Revitalisation Plan”, in which the company aims to help revitalise the business scene in the area from Lisboa Hotel and Grand Lisboa to the Inner Harbour area through Avenida de Almeida Ribeiro, the city’s main thoroughfare in the downtown.
The group aims to turn this area into a “thriving cultural district with a strong sense of local community” to attract international travellers and bring benefits to local small-and-medium-sized businesses (SMEs), she said.
SJM’s proposal also includes the development of a riverfront food street in the Inner Harbour area from No 14 Pier to No 16 Pier, which could also accommodate festive markets and wine and dine festivals, the executive added.
There will also be over 15 new dining outlets in Grand Lisboa Palace and Grand Lisboa in the future, while SJM will plan more sports events like the Macau Golf Open Championships, tennis competitions, and martial arts activities.