The ramp up of vaccinations and ease of restrictions contribute to David Lawrence’s confidence that
the industry will see recovery in 2022. The casino general manager expects pent up demand to follow.
Like all other gaming jurisdictions, the Philippines has been adversely impacted by the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic starting Q1, 2020 and continuing through to the present.
While there is still a degree of uncertainty moving towards 2022, we believe the ramp up of vaccinations, especially in the second half of 2021 has been the most significant development as this has resulted in a reduction in cases and the gradual easing of restrictions. While this easing has not yet included international travel, we are confident that as long as this decline continues, our industry will finally see some kind of recovery.
For 2022 my points to look out for are as follows:
- Pent up demand – We think that as restrictions ease further, both locally and internationally, there will be pent up demand from both markets, this will be true regardless of geographic location.
- New normal – All businesses have had to implement mandated protocols, with the gaming industry requirements being among the strictest. Even as we move towards the new normal, we have to continue to adapt operations to cater for not just these requirements, but our guests’ changing expectations.
- Thinking outside the box – We have learned during the pandemic that by necessity we have to change the way we operate our business.
Moving forward, we should be mindful that the dynamics of our industry have changed and we should strive to adapt quickly to new expectations and requirements. This I think applies to operators, suppliers and regulators in equal measure.
Most of all for 2022, we are hoping that all of us can see the situation improving and things returning to a better ‘new normal’ for us all.
