Sands China has celebrated the 20th anniversary of the opening of its first Macau resort, Sands Macao, at a lavish event outside the peninsula property on Thursday night.
It also hailed the US$15 billion the company has invested into the Macau SAR since, helping develop the city into a World Center of Tourism and Leisure, according to comments from Executive Vice Chairman, Dr Wilfred Wong.
Opened in May 2004, Sands Macao was the first foreign-owned casino in Macau with its stunning success – having famously repaid its US$265 million price tag in just nine months – paving the way for the industry’s explosive growth in the years to follow.
Thursday’s celebration featured performances mirroring those from the opening of Sands Macao in 2004, led by local singer German Ku and London’s West End artist Kayleigh Stephenson. In addition, Sands Macao set off fireworks to the rhythm of the singers’ music and entertained guests at the ceremony.
“Looking back in time to when Sands Macao set foot in Macau in May 2004, we received overwhelming support from the general public at its grand opening. That memorable moment, in a sense, implied that the golden era of Macau’s tourism had come,” said Dr Wong.
“The resounding success of Sands Macao paved the way for a sustainable future and the robust development of our company. We subsequently continued our business ventures in Macau by bringing the triumphant integrated resort model of Las Vegas to the city.
“The Venetian Macao has been joined by The Plaza Macao, The Parisian Macao and The Londoner Macao – forming an integrated resort city on what we proudly called The Cotai Strip. We, as a result, embarked on a transformative journey that reshaped the Cotai skyline, effectively materializing the visionary aspirations of our esteemed late founder, Mr Sheldon G. Adelson. Sands Macao is unequivocally where it all began.
“Sands China’s five properties have recorded over 950 million visits since 2004, with our total investment in Macau exceeding US$15 billion. These achievements truly affirm our dedication to contributing to Macau and its continued evolution into a World Center of Tourism and Leisure.”
