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Cross-border travel resumption with China gives much-needed boost to Macau, Hong Kong

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Angela Tan

Angela Tan

Published Fri, Feb 10, 2023 · 08:30 PM
    • In Macau, the sounds of slot machines are beginning to ring again at major casinos. Gross gaming revenue in the first five days of February hit 1.9 billion Macanese patacas (S$311.5 billion).
    • In Macau, the sounds of slot machines are beginning to ring again at major casinos. Gross gaming revenue in the first five days of February hit 1.9 billion Macanese patacas (S$311.5 billion). PHOTO: REUTERS

    THE return of normal travel between mainland China, Macau and Hong Kong will revitalise the battered Greater Bay Area, and finally allowing the cities to compete on equal footing with neighbouring economies that had reopened their borders earlier in 2022. 

    After more than three years of strict Covid-19 restrictions, business travellers and tourists are now able to travel without the fuss of daily quotas and mandatory vaccine requirements.

    From Feb 6, group tours from mainland China to Hong Kong and Macau were reinstated, with Macau planning to distribute 120,000 free air tickets to visitors this year and Hong Kong handing out 500,000 tickets.

    China economyHong KongMacauGaming

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