Border Gate facility limits Macau’s potential, Wong says

The executive director and president of Sands China, Wilfred Wong, has said that “a better border crossing facility would certainly improve the future of Macau,” referring to the Border Gate facility. Wong made his statement during one of last week’s G2E panels.

“At the moment, the border is a bottleneck and a deterrent for many people. […] If we were to open that up I can see visitation doubling,” said Wong.

Besides claiming the border gate facility prevents Macau from performing at its highest potential, Wong also raised concerns about Macau’s hotel supply, which in his opinion remains a factor stopping the region from receiving higher tourist arrivals through the border gate.

“These are important questions we need to ask [of] Macau going forward,” said Wong.

According to statistics released by the Public Security Police Force, the Border Gate saw its busiest day on April 21, when it recorded a total of 440,000 crossings.

Visitors from mainland China increased by 9.8 percent year-on-year to 1.81 million in March, and the number of those entering Macau through the border gate this year has surged 8.5 percent year on year to 1.34 million.

Besides Wong’s comment, Wynn Macau’s non- executive Chairman Allan Zeman also expressed his belief that the opening of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai- Macau Bridge will be a game-changer for Macau as the city strives to make itself a World Center of Tourism and Leisure.