Galaxy Macau, which has so far stayed focused on the FIT travellers from India, is now set to target the Indian destination wedding segment. Speaking with T3 on the sidelines at the recently concluded EEMA Expo in Jaipur, Paul Town, Vice President, Revenue Management & Sales, Galaxy Macau stated that the property hosted its first Indian wedding in July last year. “It was a grand success and the customers loved the venue. We realised that we could do better than the traditional destinations Indian chose for their weddings. Hence, we have shifted our focus now,” he revealed.
According to Town, Indian destination wedding is very unique. “There is such a richness of food and dining and culture etc. We felt that our property catered very well to that. We have a partner in India, Prosan, that has helped us collect and collaborate with a big bunch of wedding planners. We have hosted a wedding FAM to Galaxy Macau as well to get them acquainted with the property and what it has to offer. This trip to India is the second part of this initiative, where we participate in a show that gives us exposure,” added Town.
Throwing more light on their relationship with the Indian travel trade, Town stated that Galaxy Macau has been working with the Indian market since its inception, and have used some outbound Indian travel agents and some inbound ones through Hong Kong to increase footfall to the property. “Typical to any business, our weddings and events are fully commissionable. Also, we are able to accommodate all days of an Indian wedding at one venue, which means we are able to give bundle quotes for activities,” he added.
The property has a creative director on the property who sits with the wedding party and plans out the interiors, theme design and other intricacies. In addition, Galaxy Macau boasts of an Indian chef who ensures the authenticity of the cuisine.
When asked about MICE, Town revealed that, owing to the space constraint in the property, MICE is still a very small segment. However, the launch of the upcoming phase II and phase III of Galaxy Macau will increase the avenues for the same. “Phase II has two phases itself. It opens at the end of next year and features more retail offerings, more restaurants and an expansion of our resort deck. It almost becomes a water based theme park. The Ritz Carlton and Marriott hotels will open shortly thereafter, and will add 1600 rooms to our inventory between them, as well as increase our banquet space. This will help us increase our MICE offerings. Phase III will be a year after the addition of the new hotels. It will come with an additional 4000 rooms and increased entertainment offerings,” Town said.
Speaking about the Indian contribution to Galaxy Macau’s annual business, Town stated that the Indian booking numbers are small, about 2 to 3 per cent. “The number looks small, but the property is 2200 rooms, so in total room nights, it’s quite significant. Our largest market China is and that contributes about 9 per cent, so 3 per cent is quite a good number,” he concluded.
