Travel Agent - March 31, 2008 - (Page 38) DESTINATIONS PACIFIC/ASIA MACAO Move over Las Vegas—here comes competition Vegas-Style Casino Hotels BY MARK ROGERS THAT LITTLE BLIP ON TRAVEL AGENTS’ RADAR IS MACAO, AND IT’S GETTING BIGGER AND BEEPING more loudly with every passing day. Macao (also spelled “Macau”) lies 37 miles to the southwest of Hong Kong and is in the midst of a full-tilt construction boom to the tune of billions of dollars. In the process, the island is rapidly transforming into a gambling mecca to rival Las Vegas. Last year, the top 10 visitor-generating source markets for Macao were mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Malaysia, Japan, the Philippines, the Republic of Korea, the U.S., Singapore and Thailand. Mainland China remains the largest source of travelers, accounting for more than 55 percent of total visitor arrivals. It’s hard to say if Americans will come to Macao in significant numbers. At present, the island—which is an engaging mix of Portuguese and Chinese cultures—makes a colorful and exciting add-on to a Hong Kong journey. Macao and the islands of Taipa and Coloane are connected by a reclaimed strip of land called Cotai, which is the cornerstone of a resort area called the Las Vegas Sands’ Cotai Strip. The Cotai Strip has an impressive slate of projects on the drawing board, including hotel properties from Four Seasons, Sheraton, St. Regis, Shangri-La, Traders, Hilton, Conrad, Fairmont and Raffles. When all these projects reach completion, there will be up to 20,000 new guest rooms. 38 | TravelAgent March 31, 2008 Busy times to book Macao are public holidays like the Chinese New Year (which falls in January or February) and major events, such as this year’s 55th Macau Grand Prix, to be held November 13-16. The $2.4 billion Venetian Macao Resort Hotel (www.venetianmacao. com) opened last year to great fanfare. At 10.5 million square feet, it claims to be twice the size of the Las Vegas original. The property has 3,000 rooms, a 15,000-seat sports arena, 1.2 million square feet of convention space and multiple fine dining venues. Visitors will get a hint of Venice in the decor, although gondolas share the waters of the canal with Chinese sampans (wooden boats). Cirque du Soleil is developing a specially designed show for the hotel’s 1,800-seat Venetian Theatre, set to premier this summer. There are three types of suites in the Venetian Macao Resort Hotel. Bella Suites and Royale Suites are both 246 square feet. The main difference is that Bella has two queen-size beds, while Royale has one king-size bed. The Rialto Suites are the largest available at 557 square feet. Suites afford striking vistas, and depending on the location of their room, guests have views of the Grado Golf Course or the Cotai Strip. ABOVE: A guest room with a view of the harbor at Wynn Macau http://www.venetianmacao.com http://www.venetianmacao.com
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