Giant Macau casino wins convention boost from China: report
China has snubbed Hong Kong and other established Chinese expo venues to stage one of its most prestigious trade shows in an American casino-hotel in Macau, a report said Monday.
The China Council for the Promotion of International Trade has agreed to stage the opening event at the Venetian Macau when it opens in 2007, the South China Morning Post reported, citing sources.
The 1.8 billion US dollar resort, which will mirror the hugely successful Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas, is being built by the same company that owns Sands Macau, the American-style casino that has helped rejuvenate the territory's century-old gaming industry.
The South China Morning Post quoted Sam Xie Senshu, head of the China International Exhibition Group, the council's exhibition arm, as saying the deal had been signed.
The agreement between China's largest exhibition organiser and a foreign newcomer is likely to cause outcry in neighbouring Hong Kong.
The city's exhibition centre is planning a multi-million dollar extension in anticipation of a surge in business from the mainland and to take on competition from a new expo centre being built near the airport.
2005-06-12
