Inside Asian Gaming

INSIDE ASIAN GAMING FEBRUARY 2018 24 BB: Outside of the integrated resort offering, do you engage in other activities with local communities in Nepal? MB: Yes, we have a great CSR program across the country and locally in Bhairahawa. These activities are conducted via two main conduits, being the Nepal Youth Foundation –also known as Olga’s Promise – which is an incredible charitable entity focused on helping women and disadvantaged children in Nepal founded and run by 92 years young Olga Murray, and 3 Angels Nepal. 3 Angels Nepal, in partnership with Captivating International, have set up watch programs at each border crossing between Nepal and India to prevent human trafficking. We have also worked with the Bradman Foundation and Dream Cricket working with disabled children in Nepal. BB: How many staff are employed at Tiger Palace and how many of these are locals? Is staffing in Nepal difficult? MB: We now have over 450 local Nepali employees at Tiger Palace in the hotel and hospitality and casino areas, bringing our total employee number in Nepal to over 800. The majority are local. They are capable and hardworking. Part of our commitment to the government and the people of Nepal was a skills transfer and injection of knowledge and expertise. BB: For those yet to visit, how accessible is Tiger Palace? What are the main access routes and options? MB: We have incredible access both by air and by road. We chose the city of Bhairahawa in 2014 after much deliberation and based on our experience in Nepal with gaming machines along that particular border since first launching our Nepal operations in 2011. The government has almost completed a major infrastructure project which is a 24km stretch of six-lane highway from the border to the city of Butwal and that highway runs alongside the access to the resort. It is the most frequented border post between India and Nepal, with 24-hour crossing for pedestrians and 18-hour crossings for vehicular traffic. There is an Indian domestic airport at Gorakphur just 100km to the South. It is a four-hour drive from the huge city of Lucknow, which boasts an international airport, and adjacent to the largest Indian state by population, Uttar Pradesh. The domestic Nepal airport – Gautam Buddha Bhairahawa Airport – is only 15 minutes from the resort and is scheduled to complete the black-topping of the new 3,200-meter runway in the first half of 2018. Customs and immigration facilities are due to be finished at the end of 2018. This will be Nepal’s second international FEATURE IN FOCUS Nepal is home to stunning natural surrounds including the Himalayas mountain range “We now have over 450 local Nepali employees at Tiger Palace in the hotel and hospitality and casino areas, bringing our total employee number in Nepal to over 800. The majority are local.”