The Australian casino industry has been concerned that it is going to lose a significant source of funds as Asian high rollers avoid visiting the country due to the ongoing trade war between the U.S. and China. Their concerns have mostly been unfounded, as analysts have said that high-roller gambling remains strong. One casino operator, however, doesn’t want to leave anything to chance and has launched a new marketing campaign designed to bring in more Asian gamblers.
Star Entertainment Group has introduced a new Chinese branding campaign, as well as an accompanying WeChat account, to make the company’s properties more appealing to Chinese gamblers. The campaign includes having the company’s Chinese name displayed under its eight-pointed logo, but with a twist. Instead of the name, “Star Harbour City,” being translated literally, the name will be translated as “Millions of Stars.”
Star Entertainment’s CEO and managing director, Matt Bekier, said in an announcement that he is very interested in increasing its share of the booming Asian tourism market. He added that the company is especially looking to target those mainland Chinese tourists who often travel abroad.
Bekier added, “The previous brand was really only identifiable for Sydney, and certainly less prestigious, distinctive and dynamic than the one we will now present to Asian markets,” noting, “There is a global arms race at present with countries investing heavily and repositioning themselves to capitalize on substantial tourism growth out of Asia, particularly from China. By presenting ourselves as an integrated resort company where the finest hotels, restaurants, theatre shows, music acts and other entertainment options are available within single precincts in prime locations, we can provide a compelling point of differentiation.”
Australia saw around 8.3 million tourists land in the country during the 12-month period that ended this past March, of which 1.3 million were Chinese. By 2028, it expects to receive as many as 15 million tourists annually and forecasts that as many as 3.9 million could be from mainland China. Around half of the Chinese tourists are repeat visitors to the country.
Bekier also indicated that Star Entertainment now has terminals at The Star Sydney that can accept China UnionPay, WeChat Pay and Alipay in an effort to make it easier for Chinese tourists to manage transactions. John O’Sullivan, the managing director of Tourism Australia, said, “It’s great to see operators like The Star Entertainment Group prioritizing what is already a near AU$11 billion market with a clear China strategy that combines investment in their China brand, new infrastructure and tailored services such WeChat Pay payment systems.”
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