The halting of the distribution of free snacks on gaming floors has not affected the influx of tourists, Deputy Director of the Macau Government Tourism Office (MGTO), Ricky Hoi, said on Thursday.
In mid-June, Macau’s gaming regulator, the Gaming Inspection and Co-ordination Bureau(DICJ), reportedly ordered the six gaming concessionaires in the city to stop providing free snacks and drinks in their casinos.
The government’s decision is believed to have been a response to complaints from local business associations, who have argued that the provision of free snacks at casinos has adversely impacted the business of local SMEs and even led to a decline in tourist spending in local neighbourhoods.
Ricky Hoi told media on Thursday that the change had not had an adverse effect on tourist numbers, citing the visitor arrival figures reported for last Saturday and Sunday which exceeded 120,000 and 110,000, respectively.
He further indicated that more tourists were now exploring local communities and dining at restaurants in local neighbourhoods.
Last month, vice-director of the United Association of Food and Beverage Merchants of Macau, Fong Kin Fu, told Macau Daily that restaurants in the local community had seen an increase in patronage after casino resorts stopped offering free food.
He said that offering free snacks and drinks at integrated resorts was a gesture of hospitality to tourists, however, the practice had inadvertently encouraged a culture of budget tourism in Macau.
