Move over Las Vegas

On the southern tip of China lies a city that is a rare destination by western travellers. Macau is one of the lesser known hot spots in Southeast Asia. While many tourists flock to Hong Kong, Tokyo, and Bangkok, Macau has become a favourite destination of mainland Chinese and a popular weekend getaway for Hong Kong’s wealthy. Macau offers a wide array of culture, history, and excitement, but is primarily renowned for the casino/hotels springing up everywhere. I only had a vague concept of Macau and knew very little, other than the descriptions of one of the “Bourne” novels that take place in Macau. The book depicts Macau as a slum ridden gangster run city with widespread corruption. The images portrayed in the book differed from what I experienced firsthand. My curiosity led me to discover why this locale is unknown to many people; including many of my acquaintances.

I will begin with a brief background of Macau to facilitate explaining some of my observations. Macau is very similar to Hong Kong, in that it bares the title of Special Administrative Region to China. China owns operative rights of Macau, but Macau is run by local politicians and enjoys more freedoms than mainland Chinese, such as religion and speech. Portuguese settlers owned the peninsula for many years before returning the region to China in 1999. There are many Portuguese styled edifices dotting the city and street signs are written in Chinese, English, and Portuguese. Macau, long an area of crooks and corruption, now boasts more revenue than Las Vegas in the gambling industry, which can still be considered corrupt by ethical standards. Despite the dynamic background, Macau is relatively unheard of in western discussions. A few reasons for Macau’s hedged prominence may be because of the late blooming economy, small population, and lack of family activities.

Hong Kong has always been the economic tiger of the region. This financial capital of the world, previously run by Great Britain, thrived and rose to prosperity over the last 100 years. Macau never received the influx of foreign influence and effective governance that Hong Kong did. However, the tides have turned and Macau is growing and an unprecedented rate. As I walked through the developing Cotai strip, I was awestruck at the construction projects being undertaken. Across from the Venetian Macau an entire block is under construction. Every single building on the street is being built simultaneously appearing similar their Las Vegas counterparts. Names like, Wynn, Sands and Bellagio are sure to ring a bell to western ears, as the opulent structures take form. This influx of money is staggering as the strip, rivalling that of Vegas’, emerges. This new Macau is a stark contrast from the Macau of past years, when the city was viewed as dirty and riddled with crime.

The small size of Macau’s population and area is also a reason for the lag in growth. Macau does not have a thriving financial sector and much of the investment comes from other locales. An investment banker I spoke with recently said that casino officials invited representatives from 40 banks outside the region to help finance the new structures being built on the Cotai strip. Investors, desiring to see return on their investments; will push for more aggressive marketing of Macau to foreigners. The other problem with the size of Macau is that the population is a mere half-million, making it one of the smallest populations of major cities in Asia. Gambling is the major source of revenue but that will not attract permanent residents to the city. Much like Las Vegas, Macau is a town that many flock to on weekends, including successful Chinese businessmen. With time, Macau will experience increased financial growth and more outsiders will seek permanent residence in the city.

Perhaps the greatest failure for the lack of western knowledge about Macau is the absence of family orientated activities. Las Vegas offers families with alternative fun to gambling. Roller coasters, shows, and water parks all welcome travellers from around the country. Macau does not offer the variety of shows or concerts to attract customers of all ages. The atmosphere around town is geared towards a more mature, gambling crowd. Parents with children were non-existence as I roamed around the city and through casinos. This lack of family orientated activities is one of the main reasons that Macau is not an ideal destination for western people. There is no apparent reason to choose Macau for a vacation over Las Vegas. The grandeur and availability of activities in Las Vegas offers no reason why travellers should venture overseas to a similar and less superior locale.

I took the hour long ferry from Hong Kong and arrived to a long line at immigration. This seemed strange because airports around Asia all do a much higher volume of people and are more efficient. Macau does not appear capable to handle a large amount of people into the city or communicate with them. English is not as prevalent in Macau as in Hong Kong, but strides are being made to facilitate tourist accessibility. Buses going to and from the Venetian Casino are free for tourists and leave regularly outside the ferry station. I opted to trek through the streets of Macau prior to the casinos, and randomly wandered through parks and shops along the streets. For mid-day on a weekend I was surprised to find myself alone on many of the streets. Not until I arrived at the casino did I find the masses. Truly, gambling is the foremost attraction to foreigners and explains the absence of people on the streets experiencing the culture.

Macau is a city experiencing tremendous growth due to a tide of foreign investment flowing into the economy. Not many years will pass until Macau receives greater attention from the west. More tourists will take the inexpensive journey from Hong Kong to spend a day or two in this bustling community if Macau broadens their tourist scope to include family activities, such as shows and concerts. Perhaps, Macau is not ready for so many newcomers and prefers no foreign intrusion. However, this does not seem the case, with both a highly touted NBA exhibition game between the Orlando Magic and Cleveland Cavaliers last summer, and a much publicized tennis match between Roger Federer and Pete Sampras. These events place show that Macau is moving in the right direction to be a popular destination in ensuing years, both regionally and internationally.