Macau casino concessionaire Sands China Ltd said a group of its Sands Cares Ambassadors and young members from respectively the Noah Youth Growth and Development Centre and the Sheng Kung Hui Youth Leadership Development Center toured Hengqin on Sunday.
The visit allowed participants to “deepen their understanding of the current development status” of the Guangdong-Macau Intensive Cooperation Zone in Hengqin, and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area, said the company in a press release.
The visit was organised by Sands China and the Macau Youth Development Service Centre. It took the group of 44 to a number of venues, including the Exhibition Hall of the Guangdong-Macau Intensive Cooperation Zone in Hengqin, and the residential facilities at the Macau New Neighbourhood in Hengqin.
“The tour helped participants understand the development blueprint for the integration of Hengqin and Macau and the overall opportunities brought about by the implementation of Macau’s social service model in Hengqin,” stated the announcement.
The update cited Wilfred Wong Ying Wai, executive vice chairman of Sands China, as saying: “Hengqin is the ‘back garden’ for Macau’s development, providing broad space for Macau’s diversified development. This study tour brought together youth from different sectors and also marked the extension of Sands China’s volunteer activities to the Greater Bay Area.”
He added: “Our goal was to allow this group of community volunteers and youth to gain a deep understanding of the overall development of Hengqin in terms of policy and legal frameworks, urban planning, residential environments and amenities, and social service facilities.”
As part of the tour, Sands China arranged a networking lunch with Hengqin-based entrepreneurs and professionals so that participants could exchange ideas, “with an aim to increase participants’ understanding of local development and its opportunities”.
Ip Kam Po, service director of the Sheng Kung Hui Macau Social Services Coordination Office, said in prepared remarks that the tour had been “tailor-made for young people and the itinerary was rich”.
“I sincerely thank Sands China for making these arrangements and inviting us and all our partners,” he added.
The release also cited Chan Chi Neng, manager of the Noah Youth Growth and Development Centre, as saying: “We hope the participating youth gained an understanding of the current direction of Macau’s development in the Greater Bay Area.”
