Ben Cavender
Ben Cavender

Macau used to be the first spot for Chinese to gamble with their money. But the enclave is losing its attraction and business analyst Ben Cavender looked at the reasons why Macau is losing its competitive edge to other regional hotspots, at CalvinAyre.com. They should offer more that just gambling for the hard core addict, he says.

CalvinAyre:

An expert on the Chinese market has warned Macau casino operators that they need to rebrand their offering if they wish to retain their status as the region’s number one casino destination. Ben Cavender, associate principal at China Market Research, told attendees at this year’s Global Gaming Expo (G2E) Asia that China’s middle class is starting to view Macau as “an old destination,” leading many of them to feel “they’ve done it already.”

Cavender says the Chinese middle class has a strong cultural awareness, and when they look at the offerings in Singapore, the Philippines and other regional markets, they see “something new and interesting.” Cavender says Macau does a great job catering to VIPs but needs to address the needs of the middle class through more non-gaming options. The new resorts going up on Cotai are a good start, but Cavender says Macau remains “not easy for families, not friendly for casual gamers who sometimes may not be able to find something else to do besides gambling.”

More at CalvinAyre.com

Ben Cavender is a speaker at the China Speakers Bureau. Do you need him at your meeting or conference? Do get in touch or fill in our speakers’ request form.

China Weekly Hangout

On Thursday 30 May the China Weekly Hangout will focus also on tourism, the question what Chinese tourists want (apart from placing a compulsory bet).  You can register for participation here, or read our announcement here. Note the change of our regular broadcasting times, so we can include participants from New Zealand, Australia and Japan.

Watch below a short introduction of the China Weekly Hangout by moderator Fons Tuinstra, president of the China Speakers Bureau.

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