Macau must further tap global tourism market to fulfil Beijing’s vision, billionaire Pansy Ho says

Macau should bring in more overseas travellers instead of relying on mainland Chinese to fulfil Beijing’s vision of the gambling hub becoming an international cosmopolitan centre, one of the casino city’s most prominent billionaires has said.

MGM China chairwoman and executive director Pansy Ho Chiu-king outlined ways on Saturday the city could answer the call that Xia Baolong, director of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, made during an inspection visit in May. Xia urged Macau to polish its “golden business card” and become a global city.

“To become an international metropolis, Macau should increase the number of its international travellers since now we can see we have a reliance on mainland visitors,” Ho told reporters from Hong Kong and the mainland.

According to official data, 25.92 million visitors entered Macau in the first ninth months of this year, with most coming from the mainland and Hong Kong.

Just 1.68 million, or 6.48 per cent, were international visitors, although that number marked a 95.1 per cent increase over the total for the same period a year ago.

“It is not that we don’t welcome mainland tourists, but the proportion should be adjusted to fulfil the call,” said Ho, daughter of late gambling tycoon Stanley Ho Hung-sun. “We definitely need to do it.”