Macau residents increasingly negative towards casinos, study finds

Thursday 20th of August 2015

A new study has found an increasing level of negative sentiment towards Macau’s casino industry, which contributes 90 percent of the territory’s gross domestic product.

The study by the University of Macau and published this month in Tourism and Hospitality Research was conducted across Macau’s neighbourhoods.

Splitting the respondent profile into those who worked and didn't work for the casino industry, the survey asked about the level of support towards Macau's tourism industry and also questioned residents on preferred tourism products looking ahead.

Casinos ranked the lowest for both casino and non-casino employees. This was less to do with the issue of casinos per se, but because of the resulting traffic congestion and inadequate public transportation.

“In any sustainable, competitive and leading tourism destination development, resident support and consensus is at its core. We discuss these factors, and within our implications and way forward, issues to most urgently address and communicate to local Macau residents,” Glenn McCartney, Assistant Professor in Gaming & Hospitality Management, University of Macau and co-author of the report with Winnie Lei Weng.

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