The numbers of hotel rooms and industry professionals in Macao need to increase if the city wishes to stage more international events and conventions, Wilfred Wong said yesterday, according to a report by local broadcaster TDM.
The executive vice chairman of Sands China was speaking at the two-day Global Association of the Exhibition Industry (known by the French initials UFI), where he also drew attention to the limitations of Macao’s airport, which is small in size.
Wong pointed out that while Macao has the most five-star hotels in the world, as well as many top-tier restaurants, the SAR needed to develop other sectors besides hospitality to enrich its economy.
[See more: Global exhibition organisers are holding a conference in Macao]
According to TDM, he said that the competitiveness of Macao’s MICE industry could be enhanced if it integrated more closely with Hengqin and the Greater Bay Area. In this respect, infrastructure such as the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, which allows travellers to directly journey to the city via Hong Kong International Airport, was a big plus.
The UFI conference, which concludes today, brought 250 event organisers and facility managers from twenty countries and territories together to discuss issues affecting the MICE industry.
Last year, a total of 1,000 MICE events were organised in Macao, and the government is aiming for a target of 1,500 conferences and exhibitions this year.
