Inside Asian Gaming

IAG JAN 2023年1月 亞博匯 50 is a destination in its own right, and we think there is a big benefit to us partnering with other partners and experiences in Singapore and taking our customers there. That will be a feature of our development over the next few years – making sure our customers do that. I think post pandemic we’ve seen a bit of an increase in length of stay from visitors into Singapore generally and that plays in our favor as well. We want to be part of driving that length of stay, so let’s start giving them these lifestyle opportunities. BB: It was recently suggested to me that Singapore doesn’t seem like the most obvious place to develop two very large integrated resorts, yet both MBSandResortsWorldSentosa have proven themselves to be among the most successful IRs in the world since opening over a decade ago. Why does the Singapore IR model work so well? PT: I think it’s a little bit about what we just spoke about. Singapore as a destination in itself offers so much. There are other attractions here, it’s an easy place to be, it’s safe. Even post-pandemic Singapore is seen as a bit of a highlight for how it handled the pandemic so well, which I think has some gravitas in the new market. The geographic location also helps, with Singapore being a bit of a hub. It always has been for other segments like corporate travel and leisure travel, but for this IR market it is seen as very accessible. The government is also a very positive and forward- thinking government, so when it was selecting its IR operators it ensured it had sufficient say in the process to make sure the IRs The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands 濱海灣金沙購物商城 IN FOCUS