Macau Update: Butterflies, ice and Sheraton
The addition of international hotels, bars, restaurants and high-end shopping precincts is driving Macau’s tourism growth.
Until October, MGM Macau has erected a Butterfly Pavilion, a dome-shaped, eco-friendly greenhouse housing close to 1000 colourful butterflies from different parts of the globe.
At the Venetian on the Cotai Strip is the Fun Ice World, a self-guided tour to see copies of some of the world’s famous buildings – all carved from ice.
The newest addition to Macau’s Vegas-style Cotai Strip – Sands Cotai Central – has provided an extra 1800 international standard hotel rooms and suites with a further 4000 set to be added in September with the opening of the new Sheraton Macao.
Apart from the largest Holiday Inn and Conrad hotels in the world, this precinct on reclaimed land linking the Macau isles of Taipa and Coloane, will have the world’s largest Sheraton brand.
The three properties, together with Shoppes Cotai Central retail complex, are part of Sands Cotai Central that will eventually add 5800 hotel rooms, 10,000sqm of meeting space and 100 shops.
Sheraton Macao is set to open its doors with more than 4000 guestrooms and suites, and 9290sqm of function space.
In the first six months of 2012, almost 13 million visitors have arrived in Macau, an increase of 8.51% on the corresponding months in 2011.
Numbers of visitors from Australia are also on the increase, improving by 7.67% compared with the corresponding January-June period last year.
"I can see this trend continuing as more and more hotels, attractions and activities are unveiled," said Helen Wong, general manager of the Macau Government Tourist Office in Australia and New Zealand.
Ian Jarrett
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