One of the best pieces of news to emerge in ages for Macau appeared in today’s Macau Daily Times. Hengqin island, which is now being managed directly by the State Council, will get its first megaresort in 2013. Sitting directly opposite Cotai, connected by the Lotus Bridge, the Chimelong International Ocean Resort will have its first phase open within two years after starting construction, at a cost of RMB10bn.

The “Ocean Kingdom” will have eight themed zones and include a night zoo, water world, the world’s highest ferris wheel, the world’s longest wooden roller-coaster and an “advanced theater” (shudder, Cirque du Soleil).

The group behind this has very solid credentials. Anyone who has not yet visited its existing park in Panyu, just south of Guangzhou, really ought to. It is world-class, right up there with Singapore’s night zoo and way, way ahead of HK Disneyland.

The park is expected to draw 20 million visitors annually once it is fully open. Which means the high-speed railway connecting Beijing and Wuhan to Zhuhai, and the feeder line going out to the rich east coast around Shanghai, will be more important by then. The Zhuhai airport, which is close to the site in Hengqin, will undoubtedly benefit, too. And, needless, to say, if all these visitors want to pop across for a flutter on Cotai, what’s going to stop them? By 2013, No. 4 will have her Equestrian theme park, with an indoor wave pool, open to do cross-marketing in Chimelong, no doubt. Stay tuned for more non-gaming news.

Used with permission & copyright IntelMacau