The Macau Government Tourism Office (MGTO) plans to bring a raft of large-scale events to Zape next month, Deputy Director Cheng Wai Tong told the media on the sidelines of a public event at Galaxy Macau in Cotai yesterday.
The initiative aims to boost the district’s commercial appeal while evaluating its business environment for future development, Cheng said.
Cheng said that in mid-August, MGTO will partner with local associations to organise food markets and cultural and creative products bazaars in the Outer Harbour Land Reclamation (Zape) district, comprising 40 booths in total. The initiative is being launched as Macau has experienced a strong tourism recovery this month, he said, adding that the number of daily visitor arrivals during the summer holidays was forecast to be 110,000.
Cheng also announced that MGTO would organise a string of large-scale events in Zape later this year, such as a new edition of its traditional Festival of Lights.
Cheng also said that due to changing travel trends, fewer families are choosing package tours, as digital platforms have become the primary source for travel information and hotel bookings. MGTO will support the tour-guide sector through training programmes to help professionals adapt to these market shifts, Cheng said.
Cheng’s remarks yesterday came in response to worries by businesspeople in Zape, those running small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in particular, that the closure of the district’s five “satellite casinos” by the end of the year would harm their business prospects.
Speaking to the media in June, Economic and Technological Development Bureau (DSEDT) Director Yau Yun Wah acknowledged that about 160 businesses in Zape could be adversely impacted by the satellite casinos’ closure triggered by the government’s decision nearly three years ago that such casinos, i.e., gaming venues formally owned by any of Macau’s gaming concessionaires but managed by third parties on premises not owned by the respective gaming concessionaires, would not be allowed to continue operating after this year.
The five satellite casinos affected by the government policy are Casa Real, Fortuna Kam Pek Paradise, Landmark, and Waldo.
In June, Yau detailed the government’s revitalisation plans for Zape, such as introducing attractions featuring international intellectual properties (Ips), implementing tourist spending incentives, and supporting community-organised events
These measures, Yau said, aim to diversify Zape’s economy and attract non-gaming visitors.
Also in June, a DSEDT statement announced the launch of comprehensive SME support programmes including financial aid schemes, credit guarantees, and digital transformation assistance.
Zape is home to a considerable number of pawnshops, restaurants, jewellery shops, pharmacies and other retail outlets traditionally patronised by casino gamblers.
Moreover, also in June, government officials proposed allocating 650 million patacas to the Industrial and Commercial Development Fund (FDIC) to help businesses affected by the 11 satellite casino closures, with funds targeted for Zape’s revitalisation and SMEs digital upgrades.
Only two of the 11 satellite casinos – L’Arc and Ponte 16 – are slated to continue operating, but no longer as third-party managed businesses but as those owned and managed directly by gaming concessionaire SJM. While L’Arc is located in Nape (Outer Harbour New Land Reclamation), Ponte 16 is situated in the Inner Harbour district. SJM has said that it plans to acquire the full ownership of both casinos.
Pedestrians walk along a shopping street in Zape in June. – Photo: MPDG
