Heritage Attractions of Macau

Question

Prepare a tourism proposal report outlining key trends and characteristics in international tourism and to suggest ways in which the destination can use tourism sustainably in the future. The report should detail:

•    Brief information about the current tourism situation of the destination;
•    A discussion of the impact of tourism for the destination’s development;
•    The restrictions imposed for future development;
•    The sustainable opportunities available;
•    How the role of technology may assist in the strategic development;

This paper focuses on developing a tourism plan for Macau. Presently, Macau is one of the top global tourist destinations and the popularity of the place is increasing. An overview of the tourism industry has been provided in this paper. The tourism industry of Macau has been significantly influencing the economy of the region. It has created various job opportunities and the contributed in the development of the destination. However, the tourism industry of Macau has been encountering some major cultural, social and environmental challenges. This paper has elaborated the challenges as well as developed a tourism plan for achieving sustainable growth in long run.

Tourist Attractions

Macau is one of the most popular global tourist destinations.  It is situated on the west bank of the delta of Pearl River in the southern part of the Guangdong province of China. Macau is comprised of three islands, viz. Coloane Island, Taipa and Macau Penisula. The world heritage of Macau is one of the important attractions for the international tourists. More than twenty ancient monuments and urban squares are interwoven in Macau which is collectively known as “The Historic Centre of Macau”. In 2005, the district has been enlisted in the “World Heritage List”. Western and eastern culture has been integrated in Macau which is explored by the tourists (Stsmacau.com, 2015).  Lilau Square, A-ma temple Moorish Barracks, St. Lawrence Church, St. Augustine’s Square and Mandarin’s House are major tourist attractions. Visiting the exquisite museums of Macau delivers outstanding experience to the tourists. Macau museum is a cultural and historical museum. Moreover, the principal tourist attractions include Wine Museum, Macau Museum of Art, Maritime museum, Grand Prix Museum etc. A-MA cultural village, Lotus square, Arts garden is few of the major spots of Macau (En.macautourism.gov.mo, 2015).

The Gaming industry of Macau is booming and large number of tourists is engaged into the gambling activities in Macau. Betting on horses at race course, playing slots in casinos are the most common gambling games in Macau. It has been observed that the government of Macau has been relaxing the legislations related to the gaming industry in order to keep pace with the dynamic perception of the travelers. Presently, Macau has turned into one of the most popular gambling destinations and has been able to attract more number of tourists than Las Vegas. The casino owners of the Las Vegas have established Casinos in Macao which has significantly contributed in boosting the tourism sector of Macau (Stsmacau.com, 2015).  Moreover, Greyhound racing, Tombola, Pacapio, Basketball Lottery and Soccer Lottery etc. are also popular games in Macau (En.macautourism.gov.mo, 2015).

Gaming Industry in Macau

MACAU is one of the most exciting and appealing business tourism destinations of Asia. The destination has undergone a rapid and excellent development in terms of infrastructure. Though the size of the city is quite small, the city is the largest entirely integrated convention and exhibition centre of Asia. The city also includes various world heritages a well as has most spectacular skylines. The city is a great blend of tradition and modernity which is reflected in the activities, festivals, lifestyle, food and architectures of the city. Macau has significantly differentiated its offerings to business tourists and incentive explorers for providing extravagant hotels, resorts, ethnic restaurants, designer shopping and numerous all the more eating and excitement alternatives. Macau is an excellent destination for the great achievers who needs to get pampered in the luxurious resorts and entertained or holding programs for developing teams (Industry.macautourism.gov.mo, 2015).

Impact on Economy

Tourism industry plays a pivotal role in the economy of Macau. This industry has been rapidly growing and boosting the economic activities of the destination. Extreme advancement off the tourism industry in Macau has significant socio-economic impacts leading to the further development of the region. As, it is a global tourist destination, tourism industry has generated significant foreign exchange earnings which has a positive impact on the balance of payments of the economy. Increasing economic activities have significantly contributed in the regional development and improved the income levels of the local population. The tourism sector of Macau has provided ample employment opportunities to the local people. In 2011 tourism industry of Macau was responsible for creation of 162,500 jobs and it accounted for almost 48% of the total jobs in Macau (Wan & Li, 2011). The major source of government revenue in Macau is collected from the tourism industry. The government of Macau has focused on facilitating diversified development and integration of the several components of the tourism industry. The government of Macau is concentrating on transforming Macau into a premium global tourist destination and a unique destination for leisure, entertainment as well as business exhibitions and convention hub of Asia (Wan & Li, 2011). Additionally, the government has given extensive emphasize on the sustainability issue.

Facts and Figures

7.4 million Tourists visited Macau within September of 2014. It was estimated that the in 2013 number of visitors increased by 4.4% compared to the previous years (www.gcs.gov.mo, 2014). The tourism industry of Macau has been able to maintain significant growth over the years. The major countries from which tourists visit Macau the most are given in the following table:

(Source: (www.gcs.gov.mo, 2014))

The tourism industry growth in Macau has significantly contributed in the growth of the hotel and travel agencies. It was estimated that almost 896,726 residents had chosen travel agent services for visiting the city. The figures have increased by 4.1% compared to the previous year. In 2013, it was estimated that Macau has sixty-nine star rated hotels and 33 guesthouses (www.gcs.gov.mo, 2014). The following table demonstrates number of start rated hotels and guesthouses along with the room numbers.

Business Tourism in Macau

(Source: (www.gcs.gov.mo, 2014))

One of the major challenges encountered by the tourism industry of Macau is the problems in cultural tourism. The major difficulty is to deal with the stakeholders in order to cope up with the set of values and interest which takes place in association with heritage (Jovicic, 2014). It is reliant upon the perspective of the stakeholders regarding the heritage assets in Macau (Simão & Partidário, 2010).

It has been observed that the electricity consumption of Macau has increased significantly. In, the electricity consumption of Macau has increased by more than double in comparison to electricity consumption of 2000. The increasing number of luxurious hotels and casinos is responsible for the enhanced electricity consumption (Harris et al., 2008).

Another major challenge encountered by the tourism industry of Macau is the increasing level of pollution. The region has been facing consecutive rise in the pollution level. With the increase in number of visitors, vehicle density has increased. As a consequence, large number of people is dying due to respiratory related diseases. Emission of the hazardous gases is significantly affecting the environment and well being of the society. Additionally, it has been reported that the total waste of Macau has been enhancing in Macau. The total liquid and solid waste of Macau is growing and affecting the environment. Moreover, it is exerting excessive pressure on the waste handling capacity of Macau. The liquid waste in Macau is causing water pollution to the nearby sea (Radwan, Jones & Minoli, 2012). It has been found that in 2011, number of visitors in Macau was five times more than its residents. Hence, it can be clearly implied that the tourism industry is significantly contributing to the environmental issues of Macau. High level of pollution is threatening factor for the sustainable tourism in Macau.

Tourism industry has significantly affected the socio-cultural aspects of Macau. The government of Macau has focused on the growth of tourism industry which has leaded to increase in number of hotels, resorts and casinos (Wan & Pinheiro, 2014). As a result, public land is becoming increasingly unavailable as well as expensive. Gaming industry of Macau, considered being one of the major attractions for the tourists. Flourishing gaming industry of Macau has significantly affected the young generation of Macau and consequently it has been found that the gaming industry the school dropout rate in the secondary level has notably increased. The major reason is casinos and other gaming industries provide job opportunities to the people with lower educational qualification. The alarming rate of the school dropout in Macau is lowering the human resource potential and threatening further growth of Macau (Wan & Pinheiro, 2014).

Additionally, it has been found that tourism industry of Macau has a correlation with the crime rate. Mass tourism has leaded to an increase in the crime rate in Macau. It has been estimated that crime rate was 10,538 in 2005 and 13,864 in 2008. Macau has been a major destination for the gamblers and crime related gambling has been growing in Macau (Wan & Pinheiro, 2014). As number of tourists is greater proportion in comparison to the residents it can be stated that the crime rate is growing due to the growing number of tourist arrival in Macau.

Economic Impact of Tourism in Macau

Sustainable tourism will help in protecting the environment and heritage of the tourist region. The environment considers the ecosystem and the culture uniqueness of that place. On the other hand, heritage embraces the natural or indigenous as well as historical inheritance of that place. The tourism industry of Macau must focus on recognizing the assets of the mainstream as well as niche tourism product (Timothy, 2014). Sustainable tourism can be developed by educating the tourists regarding the values of cultural and natural heritage of the destination. This section will focus on developing a plan for sustainable tourism (Xi & Wei, 2010). First of all, government of Macau must have the motivation and determination for adopting a systematic approach for implementing the sustainable tourism plan. The sustainable tourism plan will assist in recognizing as well as protecting the values of the natural and cultural destinations of Macau for enhancing the tourism product development and ensuring effective management of those places in long term. Sustainable development will focus on addressing the economic, environmental as well as social issues in Macau (Timur & Getz, 2009). The government of Macau needs to focus on achieving the triple bottom line in order to ensure sustainable growth of the tourism industry in Macau.

The major aims of the sustainable tourism plan of Macau can be categorized in terms of economic, social, and environmental objectives. Achievement of the following objectives will contribute in improving tourists’ satisfaction. The objectives of each segment are discussed below:

Economic Objectives:

•    Increase in government revenue by increasing sustainable tourism activity for boosting up the economy of the region.
•    Increase in employment opportunities for long run which will improve the disposable income and standard of living of the local communities.
•    Rise in the disposable income of household of residents of Macau will help in enhancing the society and establish good health care system and education sector.
•    Economic diversification and decreasing over-dependence on tourism (Xi & Wei, 2010).

Social Objectives:

•    Improvement of the infrastructure will promote well being of the society.
•    Increasing the level of education of the local residents for generating qualified human resource for boosting the economy.
•    Controlling excessive traffic congestion.
•    Controlling the crime rate and gambling issues (Timothy, 2014).

Environmental Objectives:

•    Reducing electricity consumption.
•    Increasing awareness for protecting natural and cultural heritage.
•    Initiatives for increasing green area.
•    Proper management of waste
•    Reducing the level of pollution (Wan & Pinheiro, 2014).

Economic

In order to achieve the economic objectives, government intervention is essential. Development of strong legislative framework must be developed as well as implemented in order to increase the government revenue. Taxation policy must be effective so that illegal transactions do not take place which can lower the government revenue (Wan & Pinheiro, 2014). Additionally over-independence on the tourism industry must be changed through economic diversification (Jovicic, 2014). Some service industries and later manufacturing industry can be established in Macau. The focus must be shifted to other industries from the gaming industry in Macau. Shortage of skilled workforce will be a major problem in implementation of this strategy (Timur & Getz, 2009). Hence, the government needs to start skill development programs and focus on developing the education sector in order to ensure supply of skilled human resource.

Tourist Arrivals and Accommodation in Macau

Social

Social objectives significantly emphasizes on the development of infrastructure which includes development or roads for improving connectivity. For example, government can focus on improving Hong Kong – Zhuhai-Macro Bridge (HZMB) and Light Rail Transit (LRT).  The government needs to invest significant amount for the social welfare of the local residents. In order to minimize the rate of school dropout, people must be made aware of the importance of education. Scholarship can be offered to the students with severe financial problems. It will encourage the society to opt for higher education (Timothy, 2014). Restrictions must be imposed on gambling so that teenagers and young adults do not get engaged into these practices. Improved education system will help in addressing the issues regarding gambling and crime related to that. Sturdy legislative framework needs to be implemented for punishing the criminal offenders in Macau (Wan & Li, 2011).

Environmental

Environmental issues are increasingly threatening the sustainability of the destination. In the government budget, allocation of resources for activities related to the protection of the environment must be increased (Marin & Jafari, 2002). The capital must be utilized for developing green areas and protecting the natural resources (Kasim, 2009). License and permits for casinos and other gaming industries must be restricted. Increasing number of vehicles is leading to traffic congestion and emission of the hazardous gases polluting the air. Hence, government must ban vehicles causing air pollution. Additionally, community participation will play a crucial role in successful implementation of this strategy (Marzuki, Hay & James, 2012). Electricity consumption needs to be reduced by use of energy efficient tools and gadgets. Additionally, use of alternative sources of energy must be encouraged especially in hotels and casinos. Waste management is considered to be a major issue in Macau and it can be addressed by adoption of advanced technology for handling waste so that it cannot pollute the air and water. The tourism industry must be forced for using bio-degradable and eco-friendly materials (Wan & Pinheiro, 2014).

Thus, Macau will be able to transform itself into a sustainable global tourism destination. Increasing awareness regarding the sustainable tourism has influenced the decision of the tourists. Hence, sustainable tourism industry will satisfy the tourists and boost the economy and contribute in the overall development of the tourist region.

Technology plays a significant role in achieving sustainability in the tourism industry. Innovation of new technologies is essential for reducing the electricity consumption in the global tourist destination. Additionally, for controlling as well as monitoring the emission form vehicles and other sources technology plays an important role. Adoption of advanced technology can contribute in enhancing the mechanism of waste management.  Thus, the water and air will be protected from pollution (Pechlaner & Raich, 2001). Technology is essential for developing infrastructure for better communication, better service to the tourists and improving the education sector of Macau.

Conclusion and Recommendations

This paper has provided an insight to the major industry of Macau, tourism. It has been found that the Macau is extensively dependent on the tourism industry.  It has been observed that the tourism industry has been encountering significant growth. But the destination has been encountering major challenges. Over dependence on the tourism industry and the gaming industry is affecting the tourism development of Macau. Growth of tourism industry has resulted in the high electricity consumption, air pollution, low education rate, increasing level of crime and gambling related crime etc. A sustainability plan has been developed for addressing the environmental, social and economical issues.  Implementation of the plan will help in improving the sustainability and ensure further growth of the tourist region. 

The recommendations of this paper include the following:

•    Focusing on economic diversification which will boost up the economy of the region.
•    Improvement in infrastructure and education sector.
•    Development of the human resource for generating skilled workforce.
•    Controlling crimes effectively.
•    Decrease in electricity and water consumption.
•    Controlling traffic congestion and improving waste management.  
•    Reduction in level of pollution.

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