Travel Talk
Updates from Southeast Asia’s vibrant tourism industry
Sands
Macao First Glorious Decade
Celebrates its
Mr. Sheldon Adelson and Dr. Miriam Adelson
Mr. Edward Tracy
words and photos Gaid Kornsilapa
Having been to Macao several times, I always enjoy taking walks down
the narrow streets that lead to some of the city’s Portuguese heritage
treasures, but I also love strolling around entertainment complexes on
the manmade Cotai Strip. And though I’m not a gambler, I do like to
see people at the casino getting excited over their games, hoping this
will be their lucky day.
Perhaps this is why I like so much the idea of the integrated resorts at
Sands Cotai Central on the Cotai Strip, as they combine casinos with all
sorts of entertainment spots, hotel rooms, restaurants, and conference
facilities. It becomes a place where everyone can pursue his or her
own activities of interest, whether it be gaming, shopping, dining or
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relaxing. My favourite diversion is to take a Gondola ride, listening to
the oarsman singing for me while he (or she) rows the boat along the
manmade canal at the Venetian Macao.
However the last time I visited Macao was just recently, and I was there
to witness a big celebration, chronicling the Sands Macao achievements
over the past decade. It was 10 years ago that Sands China Ltd. invested
in their first project in Macao, opening the Sands Macao on May 18, 2004.
It was the first gaming complex owned and operated by an international
operator, and it signaled the end of Stanley Ho’s monopoly era, and
paved the way for the sprawling and diverse landscape visitors to the
region see today.