SANGEETA YADAV travels for a Parisian wonder miles away from Paris
From ballets to apache dance performances, to live music shows to fire-works on the Eiffel Tower — the opening of The Parisian Macao by Sands Macao left everyone asking for more. The dream of 83-year-old American casino magnate Sheldon Adelson came true last week when he opened the doors of his themed property in Macao — The Parisian for the public.
“I never stop dreaming and love to take risks in life. The biggest risk I have taken so far is marrying my present wife Miriam Adelson who has been my support through this journey,” said Andelson, who started working as a newspaper hawker at age 12. Though he saw many failures, he never gave up and rose from every fall to finally rank as the 21st richest person in the world this year with a worth of $29.2 billion.
The Parisian, which marks his seventh property, including The Venetian, The Plaza, Cotai Central, Conrad, Holiday Inn and Sheraton, boasts of luxurious facilities like 3,000 rooms and suites, 5,200sqm long convention hall and meeting space. The overwhelming Parisian ballroom can cater to 2,600 guests. The international restaurants, spa, kids’ club, health club and pool deck with a themed water park, a theatre, casino and a retail mall spread over three levels of The Parisian offering French fashion.
After hosting the IIFA in 2013 and 2014, Macao has become a growing attraction for Indian travellers. “Indians love to stay at The Venetian. Now with The Parisian, people will have Paris next door. They can now explore the Eiffel Tower away from Paris. When we conducted IIFA, it was a game changer. It brought tourists from all over Asia, especially India. Earlier, not many people were aware of Macao,” Ruth Boston, VP, destination marketing and sales, Sands Resorts, Macao, asserts. Over the years, India has become a crucial market for Macao and is ranked No 4 on the inbound tourist list of this city, after Mainland China, Korea and Japan.
“We have worked with a lot of partners in India and conducted trade shows. Repeat visitors are a fast growing community. Earlier, it used to be one night at Macao and two nights Hong Kong but now it’s the other way around,” Boston points out.
Though May-June is the peak season for Indian travellers, there has also been a rise in tourists during Diwali.
The biggest attractions is Chinese National Day in October followed by the mega music festival and International Fireworks Championship in which many countries participate.