Public policy makers and health officials in countries across East Asia are cautiously optimistic that their tourism economies will begin to recover in 2022. Casino operators in particular are hoping for a resumption of international travel.

Genting Singapore's revenue is likely to continue to be affected by China's zero-Covid policy in 2022, even as the island nation reopens to international travel, Nomura Research wrote.

Chinese GDP is expected to take a hit even in 2023 as the Mainland continues to stress of the “Zero-COVID” policy - tourism demand to provide a breather.

Macau's recovery is likely to pick up steam from mid-2022, with the explicit alignment of health policies between Mainland China, Macau and Hong Kong to help spur the recovery, according to Fitch Ratings.

Melco Resorts & Entertainment said 4Q21 adjusted EBITDA almost doubled on tight cost controls, but revenue dipped due to a soft performance in the rolling chip segment and on Covid restrictions.

Most countries around Asia are starting to open their borders to kick-start international tourism as they learn to live with the virus. The conspicuous stand-out is of course China, which is doggedly sticking with its zero-Covid policy, meaning that the integrated resorts that were designed to cater for this segment will be reopening without a key sector of their clientele. To kick off the week, Andrew Klebanow, founder and senior adviser at C3 Gaming takes us around the main casino jurisdictions in Asia to evaluate the main winners and losers and what they can do to mitigate the impact.

Melco Resorts & Entertainment CEO Lawrence Ho said he doesn’t believe China’s common prosperity drive will hurt Macau’s mass or premium mass market, but it’s likely a different picture for the once-dominant VIP sector. 

European Union countries have agreed to phase out pre-departure COVID testing for travelers from China by the end of the month. China has welcomed the decision, indicating it will promote communications between China and the EU.

Macau is finally moving away from zero-COVID, with a progressive easing of measures, changes in testing regimes and even allowing for home quarantine.

China's consumers are shifting online, jettisoning their brand-conscious and consumption-oriented lifestyles, in response to “zero-covid” policies and regulatory crackdowns.