Different approach and performance
Ricardo C.S. Siu · 2024
This chapter examines the evolution of two of the earliest casino tourism destinations, Malaysia in Southeast Asia and South Korea in East Asia, from the 1970s to the present. The “Genting story” of Malaysia is discussed, which reflects the contextual essence of entrepreneurship for the success of casino tourism development in the country. As a Muslim-dominated society, the social-cultural-political forces have clearly created boundaries and limited the expansion of this industry. Nevertheless, the success of the industry in Malaysia rests on the strategy of the Genting Group to venture beyond its national boundaries, which not only contributes to the development of casino tourism in other countries like Singapore and the Philippines but also strengthens its competitive edge and sustains its growth. In the case of South Korea, it is evident that regarding public concerns of the adverse social impacts of casino gaming, casinos were only established in certain hotels in selected tourist cities/regions for foreign visitors before 2000. However, the decision of the government to approve a large-scale resort, the Kangwon Land in 2000, by including a casino that would admit local Korean patrons exclusively as a measure to revive a declining economy in a mountainous region unarguably altered the frontiers of casino tourism development in the country. Although Kangwon Land has become the largest casino tourism operator in the country as a monopoly business that targets local visitors, there are also downsides.