Appeal to visitors

Tourism is another booming market for the Bay Area. Macao will be at the forefront of the push to attract more visitors to the area.

Tourism in Macao has grown steadily. Last year, 32.61 million visitors stayed at Macao hotels, a 5.4 percent year-on-year increase. Annual earnings from Macao's gambling industry－one of the four pillars of the city's economy－were strong at 265.7 billion Macau patacas ($32.9 billion) during the same period, according to research by the University of Macau.

Based on the framework agreement on developing the Greater Bay Area, signed by the National Development and Reform Commission, Guangdong, and the Hong Kong and Macao SARs last year, Macao will become a pivotal training base for tourism professionals for the Bay Area.

It is also anticipated that completion of the two high-speed transportation links later this year, the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge and the Hong Kong section of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link, will help attract a substantial number of tourists to all local areas on multi-destination itineraries throughout the Bay Area.

This view is held by Bernard Chan Pak-li, Hong Kong's undersecretary for commerce and economic development.