Extensive non-gaming plans required for tender bidders

August 1, 2022 Macau Crime & Legal

Bidding companies joining the new public tender to award the gaming concessions will need to submit detailed and extensive plans on a variety of non-gaming projects and activities ranging from MICE, entertainment, sports events, arts and culture, health and wellbeing, gastronomy and community tourism among others, the tender programme seen by Macau News Agency indicates.

In addition to the casino operation plans, the programme made available to interested parties by the commission in charge of the gaming tender process requires bidders to submit thorough non-gaming plans which will need to include “the nature, content, amount, location and space, initial and annual investment and implementation plans, estimated economic benefit (especially the proportion of revenue from non-gaming projects in relation to the general income), and the estimate of the extension of the stay in Macau of tourists, regarding the investments of each item, explaining them in a quantifiable way for each year”.

Tapping into foreign markets
The first investment item regards the place of origin of international visitors, a requirement in line with what is spelled out as the second out of seven criteria listed in the executive order launching the public tender published on July 28 by the Chief Executive in the Official Gazette.

Bidders will need to specify their plans in terms of organization of promotional and marketing activities with the aim of raising awareness of international costumers on Macau, “increase international visitors’ willingness to visit Macau and optimize their experience of services provided in Macau, consolidate existing markets and explore new markets abroad” with the aim of “significantly increasing the proportion of international visitors”.

As expected, MICE (conventions and exhibitions) is also featured in the non-gaming investment items chapter. Bidders are required to optimize and improve the scale and quality of MICE infrastructures and to enhance their planning, organization and marketing activities to attract more multinational companies to hold their events in Macau on the regular basis. Gaming concession bidders will need to indicate their plans to interact and cooperate with the Greater Bay Area cities in developing the SAR’s MICE industry.