Francis Lui is the eldest son of Galaxy Entertainment Group founder and chair Lui Che Woo,<\/a> who died on 7 November at age 95. The appointment was effective immediately.<\/p>\n In a 14 December retrospective, Macau Business<\/a> acknowledged the elder Lui as a key player in the development of Cotai as a centre of gaming and hospitality. GEG operates two resorts in the district, Galaxy Macau and Broadway Macau, as well as StarWorld Macau on the peninsula. <\/p>\n Lui, 67, joined the group in 1979<\/a>. He became an executive director in 1987 and was appointed deputy chairman in 1997. He also serves as a vice chair of the Macau Institute for Tourism Studies.<\/p>\n In 2005, GEG became the first integrated Macau casino concessionaire to be listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. It joined the Hang Seng Index as a constituent in 2013.<\/p>\n In a statement, Lui expressed thanks for his father\u2019s leadership. He pledged to make GEG the \u201cworld\u2019s leading integrated tourism and leisure company\u201d, to contribute to Macau\u2019s diversification beyond gaming.<\/p>\n Galaxy Macau is the world\u2019s fifth-largest casino. It offers a 37,000sqm gaming floor, dozens of restaurants and a 14,000-capacity entertainment venue, Galaxy Arena. <\/p>\n GEG boasts what it calls the largest development pipeline of any casino concessionaire in Macau. Phase 4 of its HK$5.1 billion (\u00a3519 billion\/\u20ac624.75 billion\/$651.6 billion) Galaxy Macau expansion will add six hotels and a 4,000-seat theatre. In total, it will bring GEG\u2019s Cotai footprint to more than two million square metres. The expansion is expected to be complete in 2027.<\/p>\n This year, Galaxy Macau was named the \u201cBest Integrated Resort in Asia Pacific\u201d in the Travel Leisure Luxury Awards<\/a>.<\/p>\n In a January interview with Macau Business<\/a>, father and son agreed with the government\u2019s push to make the local economy less reliant on gaming. <\/p>\n \u201cWe will continue to\u2026 help enrich the mix of Macau\u2019s tourist source markets\u201d, said Lui Che Woo.<\/p>\n In a third-quarter earnings statement, GEG confirmed Phase 4\u2019s \u201cstrong focus on non-gaming, primarily targeting entertainment (and) family facilities\u201d. <\/p>\n According to Meetings & Conventions Asia<\/a>, the Luis created the concept called \u201cMICE-E,\u201d which adds entertainment to the existing acronym MICE, for meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions. MICE tourism is a linchpin of the government\u2019s \u201c4+1\u201d strategy<\/a> to transform Macau from a gambling town into an international destination.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m confident Macau can compete to attract international visitors,\u201d Lui has said, \u201cbut not because it\u2019s cheaper.\u2026 We will be competing because we have better quality.\u201d<\/p>\n Tom Chan Pak-lam of the Institute of Securities Dealers, told the South China Morning Post<\/a> that \u201cthe business direction and leadership of (GEG) should not see a big change following Lui\u2019s appointment. It will be a smooth transition.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n![\"Entertainment](\"https:\/\/igamingbusiness.com\/img-srv\/tTL3PcWRfWwqMI583jTkU3vFe04bYab2KuqB1C_jzZQ\/resizing_type:auto\/width:0\/height:300\/gravity:sm\/enlarge:1\/ext:webp\/strip_metadata:1\/quality:90\/bG9jYWw6Ly8vaWdhbWluZ2J1c2luZXNzLmNvbS93cC1jb250ZW50L3VwbG9hZHMvMjAyNC8xMi9GcmFuY2lzLUx1aS5qcGc.webp\")
Macau\u2019s most ambitious development pipeline<\/h2>\n
MICE plus entertainment<\/h2>\n