Chinese tourists flock to gambling hub Macau for Labour Day holiday

Sands China

30/04/2023 14:19

By Joyce Zhou
       MACAU, April 30 (Reuters) - Hundreds of thousands of
mainland Chinese visitors have descended on the world's biggest
gambling hub of Macau for the Labour Day holiday, packing
tightly into its narrow cobblestone streets and placing bets in
its glitzy casinos. 
    The surge in visitors comes after China and its special
administrative region Macau lifted strict COVID-19 restrictions
in January, allowing visitors to stream into Macau for the first
time in more than three years.
    More than 100,000 visitors arrived in the former Portuguese
city each day on Saturday and Sunday, local media reported,
citing government statistics, up from 60,000 a day recorded in
previous days.
    On the pastel coloured streets surrounding the historical
sites of Senado Square and the Ruins of St Paul's, hundreds of
visitors thronged cheek by jowl to snap photographs and try
Macanese delicacies including egg tarts and dried meat.
    Macau is the top destination for Chinese travellers within
Asia from April 17 to May 7, according to travel data firm
ForwardKeys, with bookings up 11% from pre-pandemic levels in
2019 versus a 32% fall in nearby Hong Kong.
    Coco Li, a 42-year-old woman from Hubei province who was
visiting with her husband, said they chose to come to Macau
because travel rules had relaxed.
    Li said she was planning to buy cosmetics, handbags and
clothes and "definitely go to the casino and gamble for fun, as
we still need to control ourselves."
    
    LABOUR SHORTAGE
    Macau's government has promoted its cultural heritage, food
and entertainment to mainland visitors over the past year.
    Authorities are keen to diversify Macau, which depends on
casinos for more than 80% of its government revenues and has
imposed strict new regulations on its six casino operators.
   The rush of visitors comes as the densely populated territory
grapples with an acute labour shortage.
    Hotel occupancy is expected to reach around 90%, with some
fully booked for the holiday period, industry analysts said.
    Galaxy Entertainment Group Ltd  0027.HK  said its Raffles
hotel would open in the second half of 2023, a delay from
earlier plans to open in the first half.
    "We've been actively working with the Macau government on
our labour requirements," the company said. "For our existing
resorts we're effectively fully staffed for the upcoming May
holiday."
    Sands China Ltd  1128.HK  said staff constraints had
impacted the number of available rooms in the first quarter, but
the situation had improved somewhat in March. 
    "The company expects that to improve further during the
current quarter, so the current outlook is optimistic," it said.
        In the meantime, some travellers have been struggling to
find accommodation.
    Outside Sands' Venetian resort, a 40-year-old man surnamed
Wang from Shanxi province who travelled to Macau frequently
before the pandemic, was shocked by the crowds.
    "I couldn't even book a room so I just have to wait and see
if the casino can give me a room as a gift," he said.

 (Reporting by Joyce Zhou in Macau; Writing by Farah Master;
Editing by Jamie Freed)
 ((farah.master@thomsonreuters.com; +852 3462 7709;))