Macau casino operator SJM Holdings Ltd says it has hosted on Monday a “product seminar” in the Indonesia capital, Jakarta, “to promote Macau’s diverse tourism elements”. The firm said in a press release that the aim of the activity was to “boost” the number of visitors to Macau, “while expanding the city’s international presence”.
“The seminar introduced a wide range of world-class tourism offerings provided by SJM,” to nearly “100 professionals” from Indonesia’s travel industry.
The SJM group runs the Grand Lisboa Palace in Cotai’s district, a HKD39.0-billion (US$5.0-billion) complex that opened in July 2021. The company also operates the Grand Lisboa casino hotel, its Macau-peninsula flagship property.
According to Monday’s release, “professionals from the Indonesian tourism industry, associations, chambers of commerce, corporations and media outlets” attended the seminar.
“They engaged in in-depth discussions with representatives from SJM’s sales department during the business-matching session,” stated the company.
“SJM leveraged the event to foster a strong partnership with the Indonesian tourism industry, expand SJM’s market presence and gain valuable insights into the preferences of Southeast Asian tourists, which enable SJM to create more market-oriented travel products and experiences,” it added.
The Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) took part, from August 31 to September 3, in the consumer travel fair “ASTINDO Travel Fair” in Jakarta, to promote Macau’s tourism experiences to local consumers. All six Macau gaming operators exhibited at the event.
The Macau government has a stated policy aim of encouraging its casino concessionaires to draw more of their customers from markets beyond China.
As part of the Macau government’s tender process for new 10-year gaming concessions, bidders were asked to create plans and pledge investment on a number of issues, including bringing in more customers from overseas.
SJM Holdings’ Macau market rival Galaxy Entertainment Group Ltd said in August that it was “in the process of opening” its “first overseas business development office in Tokyo,” Japan.
The company added, referring to having representation also in the Thai and South Korean capitals respectively: “We are planning to open additional offices in Bangkok and Seoul.”
In June, Macau operator Sands China Ltd organised a three-day ‘Macau showcase’ promotional activity at the Marina Bay Sands casino resort in Singapore. The firm invited 200 representatives from Macau small- and medium-sized enterprises and associations to take part in the event, in order to promote their offerings to the Singapore market.
The director of MGTO, Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, told GGRAsia in July that she believed that the city’s casino operators were meeting the goals stated in their concession contracts regarding attracting international visitors to Macau.
