With gambling a major pastime in many Asian nations, it may not come as a surprise that countries all over the continent are considering joining the Las Vegasization movement seen on the Cotai Strip of Macau. And because any destination that aspires to reach the Vegasphere must offer properties with first-class amenities, that's great news for meeting planners. As Las Vegas has proved, gaming is the ultimate draw card.
This August, the Venetian Macau opened to great fanfare, with crowds of gamers waiting in line for the doors to open. Singapore officials announced that by 2010, the country will have two major casinos at Marina Bay and at Sentosa. In India, gamblers can have a go on river casinos and locals in Southeast Asia often visit small casinos in Malaysia and Cambodia. But at present there's currently only one true gaming hot spot in Asia--Cotai Strip of Macau.
Founded in the 16th century, the former Portuguese colony legalized gambling in 1847, which along with textiles and tourism gave the local economy a big boost. On Dec. 20 1999, Macau was handed over to the People’s Republic of China. Although the government changed, the casinos remained.
There are plenty of casinos outside the Cotai Strip, but with the strip's amenity-studded properties--including the Four Seasons, Sheraton, St. Regis, Shangri-La, Traders, Hilton, Fairmont, Sands, and Wynn---it's the center of the gaming action. All the hotels offer top-notch meeting rooms, so planners have plenty of options.
The brand-new Venetian is the mother of meeting venues. The casino has nearly 3,000 all-suite rooms, 1.2 million square feet of meeting and exhibition space, a 15,000-seat arena, and more than 350 retailers in a sumptuous retail mall.
Another good meeting venue is the Macau Tower Convention and Entertainment Centre. With three levels of meeting space, planners can choose from a theater, exhibition hall, banquet hall, and a grand hall that can be divided into eight smaller rooms. There's also an on-site entertainment district with restaurants.
The games on tap are pretty much the same as it is stateside, apart from a few games native to the Asian continent. Pai Gow is a popular card game and Sic Bo mixes roulette and dice.
Outside the casinos, Macau has plenty of dining venues where attendees can sample Macanese specialities and a glass of wine. The former Portuguese territory offers a unique blend of Chinese and Portuguese flavors that are not to be missed.
Located approximately 40 miles southwest of Hong Kong, Macau is easy to get to. Many visitors fly into Hong Kong and take a high-speed boat trip to Macau over the Pearl River Delta. Flying directly to Macau International Airport is also becoming an increasingly popular option.
For now Macau is holding the royal flush of gaming amenities, but in the near future, watch for other Asian destinations--notably Singapore--that just might have an ace or two up their sleeves.
