venetian

Las Vegas Sands offered a peek on Thursday at a $US150-million Cirque du Soleil show that will open at the Venetian Macau, the casino operator's latest high-stakes bet that it can get visitors to the Asian city to do more than gamble.

The dreamy "Zaia" features dancers and acrobats depicting a story of a girl who ventures into outer space in Asia's first permanent Cirque du Soleil installation. It has an initial contract of 10 years.

The ruins of St. Paul’s remains Macau’s most famous landmark. But as colossal gaming shrines formerly synonymous only to Las Vegas continue to rise in this port city, could this remnant of a burned-down 17th-century Catholic church, along with other 20 or so churches and chapels, now be only symbolic of its religious past?

Even as visitors continue to flock to the stone-carved Ruins—flat and cardboard-like from a distance, but a stunning baroque image as if painted on a bright blue canvas on a clear day—you can tell they come only for the requisite souvenir photo.

Part of a mega hotel-convention-entertainment centre, this casino is built to host about 6,000 slot machines in 5,46,000 sq ft. Its target is new Asian, young, rich and within five kilometres of Macau. In fact, with about half the world's population, about three billion people living in that five-kilometre flying radius of Asia's Sin City, it is no surprise that Macau left Vegas behind in where it matters most - the bottom line - raking in an estimated US$ 6.8 billion.

The Venetian's new ferry service is slated to kick off on November 30th.

The 411-seat, double-deck Cotai Strip CotaiJets will go from the Hong Kong Macau Ferry Terminal direct to the new terminal in Taipa, bypassing the old ferry terminal on the Macau peninsula.

While the new service may not be popular with its old school competitors, you can bet that the tourists won't be complaining. So come on over to Macau; it's never been easier.

Money Cat says: Get your butt on the boat!

He helped Las Vegas shed its image as a sleazy gambling capital and make inroads as a family holiday destination, and his top-notch hotel restaurants have put Sin City on the culinary map.

Now tycoon Steve Wynn has his sights firmly trained on expanding his business in the former Portuguese colony of Macau as he looks to scale the next high point of what has been an already heady career.

The 65-year-old's reputation was burnished further last week when the prestigious Michelin Guide announced its first Las Vegas edition, showering honors on Wynn's restaurants across the city.

When the Macau government opened its gambling market to foreign investment a few years ago, it sought companies that could help transform the Chinese seaport from a seedy outpost into a top luxury resort destination where gambling is but one of many popular attractions.

The former Portuguese colony wanted to accomplish what it had taken about 40 years to achieve in Las Vegas, where at least half of the Strip's revenue is generated beyond the casino floor.

A major transition is under way in Macau, and last month's opening of the new Venetian resort in the Chinese enclave is likely to be recognized as the turning point.

When the giant resort opened its doors, it signaled the beginning of a change from Macau's status as a day-trip destination reliant on big-betting baccarat players.

Instead, Macau is becoming a more diverse destination resort that could someday join Las Vegas as a place that makes more money from an array of hotel rooms, retail, dining and entertainment than from its casinos.