Macau is removing all travel restrictions as of January 8th and no longer requires people entering from Hong Kong, Taiwan, or mainland China to have negative nucleic acid testing even though around 70% of the population has COVID.
As a result of the measure, Macau will be able to resume its pre-pandemic admittance procedures, allowing all foreign nationals to enter the city once more.
Additionally, the city has eliminated all requirements for health codes to be presented in order to access casinos. This is great news for struggling casino operators in Macau due to the lockdown and zero-covid policy.
According to AsiaGamingBrief, a negative nucleic acid test (NAT) or rapid antigen test (RAT) taken within 48 hours of departure on an aircraft or ship must be presented as proof for visitors, according to Macau’s health secretary, who made the announcement during a press conference on Thursday.
According to data released by the Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau, the previous year marked one of the all-time lows in revenue for Macau casinos. The Gross gaming revenue (GGR) fell by 56% year over year in December 2022, only one percent less than what Bloomberg experts anticipated.
With the renewed licenses, casino operators expect a steady recovery throughout the year, although experts believe the year will probably work out as a recovery phase. One thing to note is the director of Macau’s Health Bureau indicated that despite the relaxation, additional measures could be taken if required.
All six operators have pledged to invest a total of $15 billion throughout the next ten years and will go into non-gaming projects like high-tech amusement parks and museums. The major casinos are the ones spending the most.
