The territory’s flag carrier has enjoyed exclusive rights for the last 25 years but new legislation is being drawn up that will liberalise the sector.
Business
The average daily totals easily exceeded government estimates for the five-day ‘golden week’ period and point to the continued recovery of the tourism sector.
The number of nonresident workers hired in March nearly tripled February’s total but the city has a long way to go to replace those who left during the pandemic.
The volume of passengers has been rising steadily since the easing of pandemic curbs and is set to increase further with the opening of the Taipa-Barra section later this year.
The government has now raked in a fifth of the total it hopes to raise from casino operations during this year.
Speaking at a Labour Day function, Lei Wai Nong also talked up the government’s record on workers’ rights despite international criticism.
The extended Labour Day break is the first long holiday in mainland China since the end of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The concessionaire’s first quarter results add weight to analysts’ predictions that it will be the first casino operator in Macao to match or exceed its pre-Covid performance.
Although GGR is still down on pre-pandemic averages, some analysts are predicting that the gaming sector will recover fully as early as next year.