A Macau temporary venue for outdoor performances (pictured, foreground) funded by the city’s government, is likely to get a “trial run” on December 28, says Macau’s Chief Executive, Ho Iat Seng.
Enquiries had already been made on behalf of “several international singers” regarding the venue’s availability in 2025, said Mr Ho. The government has made a number of announcements this year about the progress of the project, mentioning the likelihood operations proper would start next year.
The Chief Executive said the structure in Cotai – near SJM Holdings Ltd’s Grand Lisboa Palace casino property (pictured, background) – would address the issue of “lack of space” at the city’s casino resorts for “large-scale, outdoor performances”.
The venue’s standard seating capacity is 50,000, and it can host up to 80,000 for larger-scale performances, said Mr Ho.
Construction of the new venue, on a plot covering 94,000 square metres (1.01-million sq feet) has been completed, according to Macau’s Public Work Services Bureau. A total of just over MOP92 million (US$11.5 million) has been identified as construction-related expenses for the temporary venue, according to a list of tender results from the bureau.
Mr Ho’s comments were made during a Tuesday press conference after he had spoken at the Legislative Assembly to give a report on his administration’s work in 2024, as well as outlining a proposal for the city’s 2025 budget. His five-year term ends next month.
At the press conference, Mr Ho had also commented on the 2025 outlook for the casino industry, as well as work his administration had done before and after the new 10-year gaming concessions that started in January 2023.
The Chief Executive additionally mentioned the evolution of the six casino operator’s non-gaming business.
He stated that in the post-pandemic trading period, i.e., since 2023, there had been changes in the demographics of gaming and non-gaming customers at the city’s casinos, as well as a “notable increase” in the Macau gaming operators’ “income from shows”.
Mr Ho said: “After the pandemic, there have been more individual travellers, more young people and family travellers, and fewer package tours.”
Macau had also seen a shift in the profile of gambling visitors, from the days when casino operations were driven by junket-facilitated VIP gaming, Mr Ho said. The past model had brought problems of inflow of “unregulated gaming capital”, as well as gaming debt issues, he added.
In terms of visitor arrivals,“this year, I think 34 million is reachable,” said the Chief Executive. He added that the city now has to depend on capturing more mass-market gaming patrons, a model that had already been “understood and supported” by the gaming operators.
