Galaxy’s new event facility to open in H2 2021, stimulating ‘Tourism+MICE’ incentives

With its construction progress hamstrung by the pandemic, the Galaxy International Convention Center (GICC) is slated to launch in the second half of 2021. It is believed the project will accelerate the government’s “Tourism+MICE” incentive, Joey Pather, senior vice president of MICE operations and sales for the group’s new resort, told the Times following an event for the new project.
“We are talking about how MICE can be a big focus area [for Macau’s tourism] this year. We are not just seeing MICE as MICE, but what MICE does for the whole business [world],” Pather said.
In November 2020, Secretary for Economy and Finance Lei Wai Nong first announced that the government would pursue the “Tourism+” concept in 2021. Tourism+ is a strategic focus of merging the tourism industry with other sectors, including MICE, culture, e-commerce and sports, to drive the city’s tourism and economy forward.
Director of the Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes also reiterated the agenda at an annual briefing on February 10, confirming that Tourism+ cross-sector integration would be one of MGTO’s five key work goals this year.
Earlier, Galaxy Entertainment Group announced that the GICC was originally meant to open in the first half of 2021, but that it has been delayed for another half-year due to the pandemic.
“Obviously, we had a few delays with Covid[-19] in terms of construction, but we made up a lot of time,” Pather said when he addressed the audience at the event yesterday.
The 40,000 m² GICC is an estimated HKD9 billion project. It features a 10,000 m2
pillar-less exhibition space, a 650-seat auditorium, a 2,400-pax banquet hall, a 4,000 m² conference hall, a 1,000-pax ballroom, and other features.
According to the “International Meetings Market 2019 Report” published in June last year by the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA), Macau jumped 23 places to become the 48th highest-ranked city for the number of meetings held in 2019. In the Asia Pacific region (APAC), Macau was ranked 12th, up 5 places year-on-year.
However, the neighboring city Hong Kong still held a significant lead over Macau, with ranking 22nd globally for MICE events and 7th in APAC, the ICCA’s report stated.
Pather told time Times that he believes GICC, a forthcoming addition to Macau’s MICE venues, is a world-class facility that “will definitely give Hong Kong a run for the venue.”
GICC is part of the Galaxy Macau Phase 3 development project, comprising of a hotel tower, a vibrant luxury lifestyle hotel, and one of the largest arenas in Asia.
Galaxy Entertainment Group will announce its financial result for Q4 2020 and the full year of 2020 later today.