"The increasing number of MICE visitors and tourists to Macau has translated into a strong demand for hotel rooms," noted Ho from Melco. "However, I believe the pressure will be relieved with the opening of new hotels in Taipa and Cotai, specifically the Crown Macau for high rollers, and the City of Dreams: a Melco project which is an integrated entertainment resort with 2,000 [rooms]. The City of Dreams plus the first few Cotai Strip resorts will together have as many hotel rooms as now available in all of Macau."

"A lot of cities see the importance of the exhibition industry," said Chan from AsiaWorld-Expo. "With the opening up of the China market, the market demand for international exhibitions is huge and the growth is phenomenal."

Still, Ho offers a few perks to MICE attendees that Hong Kong likely won't be able to match. "The Cotai Strip is expected to offer a critical mass of business, leisure and entertainment attractions, including world class meeting and convention facilities and the most modern and exciting casinos in Asia," said the Melco chief.

SIDEBAR:

'gua de Macao