The ending of the practice of giving out free food at casinos has not had any measurable impact on tourism, according to a senior official of the Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO).
Speaking to media on the sidelines of the opening ceremony of the Asia Pacific Tourism Association conference, held at the Galaxy International Convention Centre in Cotai yesterday, deputy director Ricky Hoi said “we didn’t notice a drop in the number of tourists,” following the scrapping of casino freebies.
He added that visitors to Macao were now increasingly exploring paid dining options near the city’s casinos.
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Concessionaires were reportedly asked by the government last month to halt the practice of giving out free food, following complaints from the city’s struggling restaurateurs.
Anecdotal evidence suggests that cost-conscious daytrippers from the Chinese mainland – Macao’s biggest source of tourists – were coming to Macao and enjoying free casino shuttle buses and complimentary food, injecting little into the local economy besides what they spent on gambling.
The penny-pinching approach to tourism came as the restaurant sector grappled with rising costs and a heavy loss of customers, with local diners increasingly choosing to eat out on the mainland, where the price of a meal is far lower.
