Destinations Known | What if Macau is ‘gifted’ Chinese island of Hengqin, where some of the big casino names already own land, as reports suggest?

There is increasing talk that Macau will be given control of, or administration over, the next-door Chinese island of Hengqin to boost tourism development

Parts of the 100 sq km island in Zhuhai are already leased by Macau entities, including the University of Macau

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If Chinese-language outlets are to b e believed, China’s central government may be set to “gift” Hengqin (a 100 sq km island in Zhuhai) to Macau. Photo: Shutterstock

Mercedes Hutton

Published: 11:39am, 28 Jul 2021Updated: 11:39am, 2 Aug 2021

Spare a thought for Macau. While the media has made much ado about the absence of arrivals at other tourism-dependent Asian destinations, Hong Kong’s neighbouring special administrative region has escaped attention.

Travel and tourism are Macau’s bread and butter – the industry accounted for 72 per cent of the city’s GDP (gross domestic product) in 2019, according to data platform Knoema – but although it has for some time been open to mainland Chinese tourists, its lifeline, visitor numbers will take some time to return to the dizzying heights of 39.4 million arrivals, as seen in 2019.

Speaking to local media in June, Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, director of the Macau Government Tourism Office, said that the city was expecting just “7 million to 8 million” visitors in 2021.

However, there may be more Macau to visit in the future, if reports “circling” in Chinese-language media are to be believed. According to online gaming industry publication Inside Asian Gaming, “a handful” of media outlets have announced “that China’s central government is set to hand over the nearby Special Economic Zone of Hengqin to Macau”.

Some of Macau’s big casino names already own land in Hengqin. Photo: Shutterstock

These reports suggest that “Hengqin would either be given to Macau as a ‘gift’ or placed under Macau’s administration, either directly or in a joint arrangement with Guangdong province”, under whose jurisdiction it currently resides.

Destinations Known | What if Macau is ‘gifted’ Chinese island of Hengqin, where some of the big casino names already own land, as reports suggest?

There is increasing talk that Macau will be given control of, or administration over, the next-door Chinese island of Hengqin to boost tourism development Parts of the 100 sq km island in Zhuhai are already leased by Macau entities, including the University of Macau

There is increasing talk that Macau will be given control of, or administration over, the next-door Chinese island of Hengqin to boost tourism development

Parts of the 100 sq km island in Zhuhai are already leased by Macau entities, including the University of Macau