Wen Chengrui, vice-president of the Macau Hotel Association, said that during the Easter long weekend, the occupancy rate of hotels in Macau without casinos was as low as 60%.
According to foreign media reports, although the Macau government is actively promoting the addition of non-gaming elements to the local tourism and gaming industries, industry insiders pointed out that hotels with casinos will attract the most people during the three-day Easter weekend.
"Hotels with casinos are almost full," Wen Chengrui, vice president of the Macau Hotel Association, told Lusa. In contrast, hotels without casinos have an occupancy rate as low as 60%. Wen Chengrui added that casino operators are not just offering free accommodation to high-stakes gamblers, but are "actively soliciting customers" to increase gaming revenue. "Even tourists with no gambling record can enjoy free rooms."
At the request of the Macau government, gaming companies will invest more than 100 billion patacas in non-gaming elements over the next decade, using diversified entertainment and large-scale sports and cultural events to attract tourists. However, some experts are skeptical of Macau's new direction. In February this year, Alidad Tash, a well-known consultant in the industry, told Macau News that gaming companies are willing to invest in non-gaming elements simply because "it looks more positive." But he pointed out, "We already have world-class restaurants, how many more can we add? How many more performances can attract people who come all the way from northern China to Macau? This is a challenge, and it has always been a challenge."
