GAMBLING TOURISM & MARKETING EASTERN EUROPEAN GAMING SUMMIT SOFIA, BULGARIA, 2014
Sofia, Macao, London, Las Vegas, Paris or Singapore are not even similar. What are the visitors looking for?
TOURISM Grand Tour - A custom of the english wealthy classes whereby young men were dispatched on extensive circuits of continental Europe to finish their education.
Essencial feature of tourism: HOM E Londo n Moving and returning to the point of departure Sofia Las Vegas Macao
Entrepreneurs speak of their market segment; Politicians Scholars speak of their role on economic development or social welfare; speak of impacts, depending on the specialization: business, economy, society, etc
System elements: Tourists, regions, routes between source and destination and an installed and operative touristic industry;
A place can be a "peculiar product", with attributes associated to it, which by itself have the ability to attract non local visitors.
Las Vegas, Macao, Atlantic City or Singapore already are or step themselves to be tourist products.
The satisfaction of tourists on a comprehensive scale that goes from: Psychological satisfaction, such as security; Economic satisfaction, such as prices; Social satisfaction as the accomplished relationship; Physiological satisfaction, such as easy transportation, hotel comfort or food quality.
"The goal is the search for memorable experiences"
How attracting tourist to gambling and increase the revenues?
We should better say: How to attract tourists? How to turn a given location or a certain region, in a tourist product?
Cyclical economic crises are factors that negatively influence the tourist flows
Visitor Data Comparison for 2012 Macao Las Vegas Visitor Volume 28.1 million 39.7 million
Visitor Data Comparison for 2012 Macao Las Vegas % visitors from foreign countries 11(1) 17 % visitors with a package/travel group trip 32 14 % visitors for business purpose 4 16 % visitors who stayed overnight 34.0 99.7 Average number of days stayed 1.0 4.3
What does the tables show first? Different numbers; Better outcomes for Las Vegas.
What do they suggest? Different profiles of visitors? Different strategies of governance? Different strategies of marketing? Different systems or different levels in the process of implementing the system?
Marketing
Gambling is controversial But it is one of the most recognizable sights and center of interest of human kind
Marketing campaigns for gambling can include: Youth and gambling prevention Financial funding campaigns to reduce of gambling. the trend
Responsible practices of corporative and institutional governance can be part of a good marketing campaign for gambling as meaning of: Play enough Play safely
A tourist product needs more. Turning to Macao/Las Vegas examples, the statistics of events in 2013 show some of the reasons.
Macao Las Vegas 6 Sports (including boxing, golf, basketball, etc) 26 - Music/Dance 16 - Cars and Racing 14-9 9 - - Food and Drink Arts/Culture Charity/Religion Parade Rodeo 8 5 5 4 4
In 2006, Macao surpassed Las Vegas as a gambling destination. That came from a border-location feeding off the Hong-Kong and mainland China outbound tourist markets, where casinos are illegal.
Each destination is unique! Specific characteritics, Different kind of products, Different environment, culture, art and historical references All of them can be strong motives to attract visitors and turn a given place or region in a tourist product.
Gambling industry is part of a tourist product (given city or region) and must act within that framework: Diversifying and improving its products and services; Diversifying the type or profile of the customers; Developing a different image from that of its competitors.
Many of the visitors are gamblers Even the non-gamblers use to play Gambling means business & revenues
Sources: Associated Press (2013A), Casino bosses transform Sin City into Club City, The News Herald, 6 May Associated Press (2013B), Firm buys site of stalled casino, The News Herald, 5 May Getz, D. (2008), Event tourism: Definition, evolution, and research, Tourism Management, Vol. 29 http://www.lvcva.com/stats-and-facts/visitor-statistics/ Lam CSiu, Crossley J, Las Vegas Versus Macao as Diversified Travel Destinations, Journal of Tourism Insights, Vol. 4: Iss. 2, Article 5 Las Vegas Conventions and Visitors Authority, 2014, Executive Summary http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2010/nov/10/lvcva-tailors-marketing-strategy-post -recession-vi/
Thank you very much for your attention. Contacts: +351911000911 antonio.alegria@outlook.com www.osjogosdeazar.com