The Secretary for Economy and Finance, Leong Vai Tac, said on Sunday that the government is aware of the influence that the development of industries in different regions may have in Macau.

Leong acknowledged that the gaming sector in Macau has been facing competition from neighbouring regions but gave assurances that the government was taking all possible steps to make the industry more attractive through other options for tourists, particularly in the entertainment sector.

The government is committed to making Macau tourism even more attractive in order to respond to the competitiveness and challenges brought on by other regions.

Leong Vai Tac’s remarks came just days after President Xi Jinping’s announcement on the island of Hainan in southern China of plans to turn the island into an international free-trade zone.

The China Daily newspaper reported that China will authorise horse races and a new type of sports lotteries and instant lotteries for international sports.

The decision to make the island, with an area of 35,000 square kilometres and 9.3 million inhabitants, into an international free-trade zone, according to the Chinese authorities, is intended to complement the future development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Great Bay Area. (macauhub)