Macau offers free buses to and from Taiwan for Hong Kong tourists
The Macau government provides free bus services to and from Hong Kong via the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge for eligible travelers from Taiwan and certain international origins.
The Macau SAR Government Tourism Office (MGTO) has launched a free travel program between China's two special administrative regions (SAR) to encourage more visitors to the casino enclave. The tourism board said in a press release that it has partnered with bus companies to facilitate travel through the 34-mile bridge-tunnel system, the longest sea-crossing bridge in the world.
The MGTO said that visitors arriving from Taiwan who are interested in the coupon program should go to the direct bus counter at the Hong Kong International Airport to collect their free passes. The tourism bureau said tickets are on a first-come, first-served basis.
The Macau SAR Government Tourism Office will launch a free ticket discount from Hong Kong International Airport to Macau starting from January 1, 2024, to encourage international and Taiwanese tourists to Hong Kong to extend their itinerary to Macau. The offer aims to promote round-trip travel between Hong Kong and Macau while tapping into a more diversified international tourist market. "
The nearly $19 billion bridge opened to traffic in late 2018, dramatically reducing vehicle travel time between the two special administrative regions from about four hours to 30 minutes. This also reduces the need for ferry services.
Visitor Return
2023 is Macau’s first year of recovery after the COVID-19 crisis.
About 28.23 million tourists visited the region last year, a year-on-year increase of 395% in 2022, under Chinese President Xi Jinping's "Zero COVID-19" plan, which allowed normal life to resume, the tourism bureau said on Monday. catch. The passenger flow in 2023 will only account for about 70% of the tourists visiting Macao in 2019.
Gross gaming revenue (GGR) totaled $22.7 billion, up 334% from 2022 but accounting for only about 63% of the $36.3 billion won by the six casino operators in 2019. However, gambling profits are not expected to recover until 2019. In the short term, visitor numbers are declining - Macau is cracking down on junket groups that bring VIP players from the mainland - while resorts are betting heavily that visitor numbers will soon exceed 2019 levels.
Macau is in the process of economic diversification, and its economy relies heavily on casinos. In return for awarding new 10-year concessions to six gaming operators at the end of 2022, Macau requires them to invest a total of US$13.5 billion in its resorts through non-gaming projects.
The 2022 licensing agreement includes a provision that would increase non-gaming spending by 20% if the casino's total revenue in a given year reaches at least $22.3 billion by 2027. The government won't have to wait long for a potential $4.48 billion investment in additional non-gaming spending to be triggered in 2023, the first year of the new 10-year license.
Maximum 18 intermediaries
In 2013, at the peak of Macau's agency industry, there were 235 licensed tour groups. GGR this year hit a record $45 billion. At the time, Xi ordered law enforcement agencies to monitor their actions more closely, which he said posed a threat to national security due to the massive flow of money from the mainland to the tax haven of Macau.
The successful prosecution of Founder Zhou Zhuohua of Suncity Group led to almost all junket operators closing their businesses and relocating to cheaper markets such as the Philippines and Vietnam.
In September, the Macau Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau announced that it would limit the number of junket operators to 50 this year. This week, the government agency said only 18 VIP groups were still operating.
Read also:
- Blackjack Casino Advantage: How to Beat the Odds
- Football 101: What is relegation in football?
- Michigan Powerball wins $842 million jackpot, fifth largest in the game
- Tupac murder suspect calls for release, calls confession 'entertainment'
Source: www.casino.org
