Patrick is passionate about creating values by adopting latest technology for customers and partners. He currently leads the business operation of HKBN JOS Macau and serves customers from Hospitality, Government and other business. Together with his dedicated team, Patrick is committed to striving for sustainable business growth with business innovation and operation excellence, while making our home a better place to live.
Boost Recovery by Seizing Macau’s New Opportunities from the Hengqin New District
During the COVID-19 epidemic, hotels and casinos in Macau were closed and there were only a few visitors. It was a tremendous loss to the industry of Macau. However, Macau is on a journey of recovery as one of the first cities to be opened to tourists from mainland China.
As we all know, Macau has a scarcity of land and is overcrowded. 630,000 people live in a tiny area of 32.8 square kilometers, which makes it one of the highest population density in the world. Macau only relies on trade exhibitions, tourism, and leisure industries. Hence it still has many obstacles on its road to economic recovery: high housing prices, insufficient medical and educational resources, lack of talents, undiversified industry, etc.
Embracing the Hengqin New District is the key to remove obstacles in Macau's economic recovery.
Hengqin is located at the entrance of the Greater Bay Area – the estuary of the Pearl River. The Pearl River is a river close to Macau and reaches Hong Kong via the HK-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge. Hengqin is the only place that is connected with the HK-Macau Road and the HK-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge at the same time. It is evident that the development of Hengqin is also a good opportunity to promote Macau's diversified economic development.
To seize the opportunity of development, many enterprises have moved their headquarters to Hengqin, including world-renowned enterprises such as Alibaba and Google. Up to 2019, 45 Fortune 500 companies and 73 companies from the China Fortune 500 have settled in Hengqin, with a total investment of over 500 billion yuan(1).
Macau and Hengqin are increasingly integrated. Many Macau enterprises, hotels, and government agencies have started their expansion projects in Hengqin, making arrangements for long-term development. The Macau Trade and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM) has received many applications recently from Macau enterprises for their development in Hengqin, covering comprehensive development, science and technology, and other projects. According to statistics(2), the investment is about 400 billion yuan.
There is no doubt that the Hengqin New Area will be the complementary and extension of the limited space in Macau. This new development will create a huge market demand. Digital-based experience is the most important part of urban development infrastructure as well as a key factor in attracting tourists.
To enhance visitors' digital experience, enterprises, hotels, and casinos in Hengqin New District need stable IT infrastructure and digital services. Their requirements for these facilities and services are even higher than the existing facilities in Macau. Therefore, my advice to enterprises is:
- Look for experienced partners in designing and managing large-scale digital deployment and size implementation to provide one-stop digital services from scratch. This will help save costs and achieve rapid deployment.
- Work together with technology partners who understand the needs of consumers. That is a partner with an in-depth understanding of grand gesture and personalisation expected in Macau and can successfully duplicate the same digital-based experience in Hengqin New Area.
- Cooperate with partners with an in-depth understanding and technical expertise in cloud computing. This will help in the selection of technologies suitable for business needs, as well as in the adoption of cloud computing services to drive flexibility.
In other words, enterprises that start a new business in Hengqin New Area, need to efficiently deploy new systems, ensure the smooth migration of data and services, and reduce the hassle when they expand or relocate their operation
Having been at the forefront of Asia’s dynamic technology sector for over 60 years, HKBN JOS is a trusted IT service provider for businesses especially in the hotels and government sectors. We have been serving clients in Macau well and have rich experience and strong confidence in meeting clients’ needs when they relocate to Hengqin New Area.
Imagine the bright future of “Macau-Hengqin Integration”! We look forward to a booming market of digital-based experience in Hengqin New Area.
Remarks:
(1) Zhuhai SAR News珠海特區報. (2019 April 30). Heng qin quanmian tuijin yue gang'ao shendu hezuo shifan qu jianshe [Hengqin fully promotes the development of Pan-Pearl River Delta Region]. Retrieved from http://www.hengqin.gov.cn/bgs/dtxx/content/post_2344313.html
(2) Government Information Bureau of the Macao SAR澳門特別行政區政府新聞局. (2020 April 21). Xingzheng zhangguan huida yiyuan kuaixun (Aomen heng qin gongtong fazhan jiang you suo zuowei) [The Chief Executive’s reply to respresentives (Macau and Hengqin’s co-development will make a difference)]. Retrieved from https://www.gov.mo/zh-hant/news/328077/
