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
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.
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”.
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.