China’s tourism market is steadily recovering from the impacts of Covid-19. By this May 1st, up to 70% tourist attractions had reopened for business.

The biggest plus to having casinos in Bermuda would be the potential boost to tourism. As everyone knows, Bermuda’s share of international tourism has steadily declined in the past twenty years. This has resulted in the closure of many of the island’s hotels and a reduction in the number of available rooms from approximately 10,000 in [1990] to about 3,000 rooms today.

Gangtok (Sikkim) – Keen to improve tourist inflow into the State, the Sikkim Government recently launched a casino. With an annual increase of 20 per cent in tourist inflow in recent years, Sikkim is the only state in the country offering land based live casino facilities and complete casino gaming to tourists. The first casino was opened at the Royal Plaza hotel and was named ‚Casino Sikkim‘.

Around 25.1 million visitors entered Macau in the first ten months of the year, which was a rise of 14.5 % on the same period of 2007 when 21.9 million people visited the territory, MacauNews reported Friday. The director of the Macau Tourism Office, João Manuel Costa Antunes said Thursday that in 2008 a total of around 30 million tourists were expected to visit Macau, or 3 million more than in 2007.

Nepal, regarded a Shangri-La for holiday makers with its Himalayan ranges, assortment of religious shrines and network of casinos, has recorded the highest tourist arrivals in eight years. According to the Nepal Tourism Board Monday, figures released by the Immigration Office at the Tribhuvan International Airport indicate that 50,567 tourists visited Nepal in October, the highest in a single month since 2000.

Casinos in Bermuda would not turn the Island into a gambling destination, Fairmont Southampton boss Norman Mastalir said yesterday. But Mr. Mastalir believes the introduction of upmarket „tasteful“ venues similar to those in Atlantis, on Bahamas‘ Paradise Island, or in Puerto Rico could help rejuvenate the struggling tourism industry. The Fairmont is one of five hotels helping fund a feasibility study into relaxing the Island’s gaming laws…

Jean-Jacques Gsell, chairman of the Strasbourg Tourist Office and deputy mayor (PS) in charge of tourism, does not rule out the possibility of setting up a casino in Bas-Rhin. He reckons that setting up a casino in European capital seems a completely logical thing to do. Moreover, contacts have been made, even if they are in their teething stages. In order to benefit from the provisions of the Chaban law dated 1988, the urban community of Strasbourg should contain a few thousand inhabitants more…

Gran Scala, the hugely ambitious mega-resort earmarked for the desert region of Aragón, Spain, will become European „most important“ amusement and tourism destination, according to developers. Pegged for a first-phase opening in the second quarter of 2010, Gran Scala will occupy 2,025 hectares in Los Monegros, which lies approximately 320 kilometres east of Madrid.

The new “Technical Regulations for the operation of Casinos and Gambling Venues (Bingo halls)” came into force, as a result of a consensus reached in meetings with representatives and actors from the private sector that are dedicated to this activity. The technical norms, that are currently in force, oblige casinos and gambling venues to be guided by the agreement…

Riverside Casino & Golf Resort attracts about 10,000 local visits every week, but officials say Johnson County’s tourism market still appears strong. Occupancy rates for local hotels continue to rise nearly two years after the casino opened, according to Josh Schamberger, president of the Iowa City-Coralville Convention and Visitor’s Bureau. “People are still continuing to come at a 4-5 percent increase per year,” he said.

Gaming tourism continues to power Macau’s buoyant economy, as its gross domestic product (GDP) for 2007 grew 27.3 % over the previous year, according to Macau’s Statistics and Census Service. Latest figures showed that the region’s GDP for 2007 was estimated at 153.61 billion patacas (USD 19.2 billion) in real terms and per-capita GDP amounted to 292,165 patacas (USD 36,357) – outstripping the USD 29,847 in neighboring Hong Kong.

Costa Rica government named a high-level commission with the aim to revise the law that regulates casinos, made in 1922, and toughen the rules in order to avoid the massive arrival of gambling venues in the country. The commission will be comprised by Ministers of Tourism, Carlos Benavides, Foreign Commerce, Marco Ruiz, and Justice, Laura Chinchilla, who will have 15 days to make a report to be presented to the government council.