Gaming Concessionaire SJM Holdings is joining hands with the government to revitalise an area encompassing Avenida de Almeida Ribeiro (also known as San Ma Lo), Inner Harbour piers 14 and 16, the currently mothballed floating casino Macau Palace, and the Kam Pek Community Centre.
The scheme, announced on Wednesday, will include art installations, the staging of food festivals, and other leisure attractions, the Macau Post Daily reports.
The floating casino – which opened in 1962 and featured in the 1974 James Bond movie, The Man With the Golden Gun – has been closed since 2007.
SJM Managing Director Daisy Ho Chiu Fung said that while Macau Palace’s future use had not yet been determined, the vessel would be restored and reopened to the public.
[See more: More details of the Barra gentrification scheme have been announced]
Other initiatives for the broader area include transforming Pier 14 into a riverside leisure zone, incorporating elements of maritime tourism, and establishing a market where local businesses could sell “trendy and original products,” said Ho.
According to Ho, the area’s revitalisation project will commence late this year or early next. She said that it was expected to be complete by 2026.
As part of their gaming concessions, each of Macao’s six gaming operators has pledged to contribute funds to revitalising parts of the city in partnership with the government. Melco Resorts will back the restoration of Piers 23 and 25, while MGM will give the Barra district a facelift and Wynn is set to gentrify the popular Rua da Felicidade.
