| By :
David Duffield
The tiny colony of Macau raced past Las Vegas in 2006 as the world's gambling capital and now attracts more than 21 million tourists a year. While it shares a border with mainland China and is just a one hour ferry ride from Hong Kong, Macau also has strong European influences having been under Portuguese rule for hundreds of years prior to 1999. Often described as East Las Vegas or the Monte Carlo of the Orient, the Macau industry has enjoyed exponential growth since being opened up to competition in 2002. The colony rakes in more than $16billion in revenue each year in taxes from gambling and this figure represents around 70% of annual government income. There is some talk that the government will soon cap the number of gaming tables in an attempt to cool off what has been a red-hot market and fast-track the diversification of the economy. Many large Las Vegas style have opened here in recent years and anyone who has visited Vegas will see some familiar names such as MGM Grand, The Venetian, Wynn and Sands. James Packer has bet a large stake of his empire on the continued growth of this region with many millions invested here. Macau is certainly comparable to Las Vegas in that it's like a Disneyland for adults, a theme park for punters. But there is more to this colony than just gambling. The European history is there for all to see with the magnificent old architecture, cobbled streets, food and language. There are so many different shopping options your feet will be sore from all the walking. You will enjoy clean streets, landscaped gardens and magnificent views. The 340m Macau Tower offers a breathtaking birds-eye view of the harbour, city and surrounding area. And if you are crazy enough you could even take one of the world's scariest bungy jumps. It would be easy to typecast the area as being exclusively for gamblers but that would be selling Macau short. Whether it's culture or history, Beyonce or blackjack, fine dining or fantastic shows, this place has something for everyone. And getting here is going to become even easier with construction already underway on a project that will be a major engineering feat - a 50 kilometre link of bridges and tunnels from Hong Kong to Macau costing $12 billion. I’ve mentioned before that any serious punter's 'bucket list' should include a trip to Sha Tin on a big raceday. Make sure you add Macau to your itinerary and you will enjoy an unforgettable trip.
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