The only water park in Macau, housed in Studio City resort, opened its all-weather indoor water park section on April 6, as Macau attempts to draw tourists from the mainland and overseas after a pandemic tourism slump.
The resort water park’s outdoor section first opened in May 2021, becoming the first offering of its kind in the casino city. The all-weather indoor water park has a space travel theme and 16 attractions, including seven water slides, two wave pools, and an indoor-outdoor surf simulator.
The newly opened indoor section is part of Studio City’s Phase 2 expansion costing US$1.3 billion (HK$10.2 billion) that will be revealed throughout the second quarter of 2023. This will see the opening of two more hotels, restaurants, a cinema, and exhibition facilities.
Macau closed its borders in March 2020, slowly resuming visa approvals for mainland Chinese travellers last November.
The number of visitors was up 271.4% in March compared to one year before with 1,956,867 arrivals, according to the Statistics and Census Service.
The family entertainment attraction’s opening comes as Macau attempts to boost international tourism, especially from mainland Chinese visitors, with its “My Treat for You, See You in Macao” scheme. Discounted air tickets, tours, hotels, as well as vouchers for dining and shopping, are all being offered to attract travellers and keep them in the city for longer.
A Five-Year Plan published by the Macau government in 2021 outlines plans to further diversify the economy, including by promoting non-gaming industries like health, culture, and sports. The plan describes Macau’s goal to position itself as a “World Centre for Tourism and Leisure” by the year 2025; this goal was first introduced in 2008.
Hong Kong has been running its own tourism improvement plan with its “Hello Hong Kong” air ticket giveaways and F&B vouchers. Government officials also revealed the “Happy Hong Kong” start date on Monday, with discounted movie tickets and food markets aimed at improving local morale.
Tickets for Studio City Water Park are HK$470 for adults and HK$320 for kids, and can be purchased through Klook.
Header image credits: WhiteWater West
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