Only 7.5% of Boracay resort area for gaming use — LRWC

MANILA, Philippines — Boracay Philippines Resort and Leisure Corp., the proposed resort project of Macau’s Galaxy Entertainment Group and Leisure and Resorts World Corp. (LRWC), will be a top leisure destination in the tourist island, targeting Asian families.

In a statement, LRWC said the integrated resort would redefine the standards of luxury resorts in the country with bulk of its gross floor area allocated for premium hotel rooms and other amenities like wellness centers, bars, lounges and fine dining restaurants.

LRWC vice president for legal Katrina Nepomuceno said only a portion would be allotted for casino and gaming, or a maximum footprint of 7.5 percent of the total floor area.

The development would highlight the resort’s luxurious amenities to attract Asian families, she said.

Nepomuceno said the partners want to leverage on Galaxy’s database of clients across the region and the rest of Asia.

In particular, they are targeting families and clients from Galaxy’s loyalty program to account for approximately 50 percent of their customers. The rest of the market will come from the usual travellers to Boracay including Chinese tourists.

Proponents would also ensure the resort would preserve Boracay’s natural beauty by constructing the property in such a way that the contours of the site would be followed.

This means there would be lots of open spaces and lush landscaping and ample space to cater to the activities of each family member. To do this, project proponents are committed to maintain a low-density development.

Galaxy and its local partner LRWC were granted a provisional gaming license for their planned $550-million integrated resort development in the popular tourist destination.

Based on the project’s timetable, construction would take at least three years with operations expected to commence soon after or as early as 2021,  Nepomuceno said.