Inside Asian Gaming

INSIDE ASIAN GAMING SEPTEMBER 2018 44 5,000 people in a column-free space which will allow us to do a lot of concerts and shows that will differentiate us from other competitors in the region – not just within Entertainment City but within the entire region.” Third, of course, is the casino, set to cover the top two levels of the luxury hotel complex including a “sky casino” on the top floor targeted at premium guests. Again, Landing claims that its target casino market separates it from its Entertainment City competitors – Solaire, City of Dreams and Okada Manila. “I look at the current crop of casinos here and a lot of them are really focusing on locals – they are not bringing the regional tourists to Manila,” Lee says. “To give you an analogy, in Korea our casino (Landing Casino at Jeju Shinhwa World) is a foreigner-only casino. Many of our guests have not been to Korea or to Jeju prior to our opening, so tourism is a key attribute. “The facilities in Korea prior to us opening were sorely lacking in terms of meeting the expectations of the premium or premium mass customers and also in terms of giving them the amenities and supporting facilities they expect. “By having such a huge family leisure entertainment complex in Manila we are creating a destination, another choice for these regional travellers. The main segments currently coming to Manila are Koreans and Chinese. I think you will find – and we obviously have regional sales officers in China and Korea – our ability to drive this new market will be second to none. “So I don’t think this is a crowded market. It depends on the kind of product you are presenting to foreigners.” Landing, predicting that around 30% of resort visitation will come from international visitors, contends that its existing Landing Casino database gives it an immediate headstart in luring customers to the Philippines – primarily from China, Korea and Japan. Likewise, it wants to bring Filipino performers back home to highlight its entertainment program. “In Korea, 80% of our total employees are local Koreans and I would expect given the skill set the local Filipinos have that the percentage at NayonLanding would be much higher,” Lee says. “We are looking at 85 to 90%. “This resort is about showcasing Filipino culture, showcasing Filipino talents. There are a lot of Filipino entertainers and performers working abroad. In Singapore, a lot of the show performers are all young Filipinos. These are the type of skilled workers that I think would be very attracted to the idea of coming back home to develop this. “Even the designers working on this resort, I did not choose You will have three massive theme parks including a water park, a cultural park and a movie theme park all combined within our resort and this by itself will positionManila in the space of the family destination resort.” – Jay Lee FEATURES