Macau Week makes splash in LV

Wednesday, Aug. 10, 2005 | 10:41 a.m.

Three Las Vegas resorts and the Fashion Show mall have rolled out the red carpet for a large contingent of artisans and government and business dignitaries from Macau hoping to show Southern Nevadans that the city isnt just Asia's premiere gaming destination.

Tuesday was the busiest day of Macau Week, which is being observed at the Venetian, the MGM Grand, Wynn Las Vegas and Fashion Show through Sunday.

Art displays, photo exhibitions and demonstrations by dancers, musicians and artists are scheduled all week at the mall and the resorts to demonstrate that the city on the southern tip of China that vies to become Asia's Las Vegas has a unique cultural heritage that makes it a worthy international destination.

"It's a celebration of a rich cultural heritage, said Fernando Chui Sai On, secretary of social affairs and culture for the Macau Special Administrative Region, a designation established when the government of Portugal turned the area over to the Chinese in 1999.

Macau heated up for the gaming industry in 2002 when the government of Macau signed concession agreements with companies affiliated with Wynn Resorts Ltd. and Las Vegas Sands Inc., opening the area to foreign competitors. Las Vegas Sands quickly opened the Sands Macau last year and began work on a scaled-down version of the Venetian while Wynn began construction of a slimmed-down replica of Wynn Las Vegas.

MGM Mirage entered the market through a partnership with Pansy Ho, managing director of Shun Tak Holdings Ltd., which has real estate and tourism holdings throughout Macau. Ho is a daughter of Stanley Ho, who held a monopoly on casinos in Macau for 40 years before the decision to offer concessions to outside companies.

Stanley Ho still controls more than a dozen casinos in Macau, including the Casino Lisboa, the largest currently operating in the city.

Ground was broken earlier this year on the MGM Macau. All three hotel-casino projects with Las Vegas connections are expected to open in 2007 and are in various stages of construction.

Pansy Ho was among the business representatives who came to Las Vegas for Macau Week and met with MGM Mirage officials in addition to taking in some of the cultural offerings.

"It's been quite well received, Pansy Ho said of this week's cultural offerings at the resorts and the mall. "It gives us an opportunity to show that there's more to experience in Macau.

Las Vegas Sands President and Chief Operating Officer Bill Weidner said that while Macau is a thriving gaming market, it doesn't have the infrastructure to supplant Las Vegas as the world's leading casino resort destination.

Still, Macau's casino revenue is on pace to surpass that of Las Vegas, thanks to a growing core market of Chinese high-rollers, many based in Hong Kong, who make day trips to the casinos.

Weidner said his company's strategy is to help develop a different niche of tourists willing to spend more than a day in the city and take in some of the cultural amenities Macau has to offer. To make the experience more appealing to the mass market, Las Vegas Sands and its American counterparts are developing resort experiences more akin to Las Vegas, complete with entertainment, dining and shopping experiences as well as convention and meeting facilities.

The mass market is only beginning to be tapped as Chinese government authorities continue to relax visa requirements that will allow millions of Chinese citizens to travel more freely.

And, in addition to developing the Chinese market, Macau is spreading its wings internationally. That's why the Macau government is staging Macau Week in Las Vegas.

The Fashion Show is offering Chinese dragon and lion dances, Portuguese folk dancing and a Macanese band at 7:30 and 9 p.m., through Sunday. The mall also is the setting for a photographic exhibit, "24 Hours in Macau."

The MGM Grand also is playing host on its Studio Walk to a photo exhibit featuring images of events and festivals in Macau, including the A-Ma Festival, the Macau Arts Festival, the International Fireworks Festival, the Macau Grand Prix auto race and the Chinese New Year.

A collection of modern art is on display at the Venetian's Colonnade. Fifty-three original works by Macanese artists demonstrating calligraphy, painting and contemporary media are on display.

Macanese virtuoso pianist brothers Kuok-Man Lio and Lio Kuok-Wai played a concert Tuesday night and are scheduled to appear again Friday at Wynn Las Vegas. Resort owner Steve Wynn invited the pianists to appear after hearing them play in Asia.

Macanese food -- a blend of Portuguese and Chinese cuisine -- is being offered with special menu items at Wynn's Terrace Point Cafi, the Venetian's Royal Star Restaurant and MGM Grand's Pearl Restaurant.

The venues also will feature Macanese artisans offering calligraphic painting and silhouette portraits.

Macanese culture got a boost last month when Macau's historic center was listed as a World Heritage Site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. It was the 31st site in China to be designated by UNESCO.