Sands Resorts Macao woos Japanese travelers

With more Japanese consumers resuming overseas trips, albeit in fewer numbers than pre-pandemic, destinations and hotel operators alike are vying for a piece of the market.

Japan’s outbound travelers numbered 5.8 million in the first six months of 2024, a 61.1% increase year-on-year. Slow growth overall, though, keeps a full rebound (20.1 million Japanese traveled abroad in 2019) out of reach for now, but Sands China Ltd, an integrated resort operator in Macao, is engaged in attracting new and returning Japanese travelers.

“A lot of our core customers from Japan have come back to Macao, and have even come back a few times” in recent years, Kris Kaminsky, senior vice president of hotel operations for Sands China Ltd, said, describing Japan as “one of Macao’s most important visitor source markets.”

Kaminsky was visiting Tokyo to host “The Fabric of Macao,” an industry event designed to showcase “Sands Lifestyle and its deep connection with the city of Macao” through seven pillars: destination, art and culture, connection, fashion, health and wellness, gastronomy and entertainment.

“We’re here to remind and engage people about the new and exciting things in Macao,” he said of the event, adding that tourism development in both the special administrative region and Sands Resorts Macao has continued apace in recent years despite the pandemic.

Macao’s main draw continues to be its “only-place-in-the-world culture” where UNESCO World Heritage Sites, such as the Ruins of St. Paul’s, are interspersed with modern attractions, and Macanese culinary favorites can be found on the same streets as trendy oyster bars, he explained.

Increasingly, visitors are also seeking to experience Macao like a local, by exploring and finding authentic experiences. “Everyone knows that the pork chop bun is the best in Macao but where is the best place to get one? Everyone knows that Lord Stow’s egg tarts are famous but where is the original oven that they were made? … [Discerning customers] are really digging below the surface,” he said.

In Sands Resorts Macao, new tourism offerings include body-immersive museum teamLab SuperNature Macao and Harry Potter: The Exhibition, both of which opened in 2023; Gordon Ramsay Pub & Grill, which opened in January; and entertainment by renowned K-Pop groups.

Sands’ The Londoner Macao is another new offering, having held its grand opening in May 2023, said Kaminsky, who oversees the resort’s development. The 6,000-room London-themed hotel features recreations of Big Ben and the architectural façade of the Houses of Parliament as well as entertainment extravaganza “Changing of the Guard.”

With Sands Resorts Macao boasting 12,500 hotel rooms and suites as well as 150,000 square meters of event space, Kaminsky is hopeful that the resort will attract more business events for the Japanese and international markets.

“Macao is a great destination vis-a-vie travel for the vast majority of countries,” he said, adding that he sees opportunities to attract Asian meetings and events that pre-pandemic might have been held in Europe or North America but now are being held closer to home.

And whether Japanese travelers are visiting for leisure or business, Kaminsky is confident that he and his team can offer the level of hospitality they expect. Since working in Japan, at the Ritz-Carlton Tokyo, many years ago, he has embraced omotenashi and brought the concept into his roles.

“The way that omotenashi translated to me all those years ago was ‘genuine and from the heart,’” he said, adding that warm, hospitable service from the heart is harder to teach than it is to put stringent standards in place.

“As we continue to develop new outlets, new hotels, new experiences, omotenashi is at the center of it. And that provides for a more engaging experience,” he added. “We invite people to be our guests, so we’re inviting them into our home.”

© Japan Today