The tourism industry in Macau is mainly supported by the gambling industry. The tourism situation is greatly influenced by policies and the environment. In 2002, the Macau SAR government made a decision to moderately open up the operating rights of the gambling industry. In 2003, the central government announced the opening of "individual tours" for mainland residents visiting Macau, which led to a rapid development of the gambling industry over the years. In the year of implementation, mainland tourists increased by 35% year-on-year. Since then, the total number of inbound tourists to Macau has increased year by year, from 11.53 million in 2002 to 22.9 million in 2008; Among them, the number of mainland tourists increased from 4.24 million to 11.6 million. In 2008, the global economy was hit by the financial tsunami, and Macau's tourism industry experienced a reversal in the fourth quarter. In order to help Macau resist risks, the central government announced six aspects and nine measures. Ultimately, Macau's tourism revenue maintained a relatively stable growth throughout the year. At the end of 2008 and in August 2009, the central government successively adopted the "Outline of the Reform and Development Plan for the Pearl River Delta" and the "Overall Development Plan for Hengqin", which for the first time included the positioning, goals, and main policy measures of Macao's participation in regional economic cooperation in the national regional strategic plan. In 2020, affected by the COVID-19, Macao's tourist resources will decrease, and will gradually recover after the epidemic ends.
Since the return, the Macao SAR government has clearly formulated an economic development strategy of "taking the gambling and tourism industry as the leader, the service industry as the main body, and coordinating the development of other industries". During the period when the development of Macau's gambling industry was relatively weak, the tourist attractions in Macau were cultural and historical sites such as "Ruins of St. Paul's" and "Guanye Street"; In the later stage, the gambling industry in Macau was fully developed. In addition to the traditional cultural attractions, casinos and comprehensive resorts based on casinos became another major attraction for Macau tourism. In 2007, the Venetian Macao comprehensive hotel resort, invested by Sands Corporation, opened in Taipa, Macau, marking the explosive growth era of Macau's vacation and entertainment hotels. At present, there are 31 casino resorts approved by the government for operation (excluding Mocha Entertainment's 7 Jiaozi Airport), including 11 satellite casinos. Among them, 9 are managed by Aoyu Comprehensive Resort Co., Ltd., and 1 is managed by Galaxy Entertainment Co., Ltd. and Melco Boya Co., Ltd. respectively.
Macau Tourism and Entertainment Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as Macau Entertainment) was founded and managed by Stanley Ho and other partners, monopolizing the Macau gambling industry for 40 years. The Lisboa Hotel, which houses a casino, was completed in 1970 and has become the flagship of Macau Entertainment Group and a famous landmark of the "Oriental Monte Carlo" in Macau. Subsequently, with the changing times and tastes, the gambling business became more diversified. At the end of 2001, the subsidiary of Macau Entertainment Group, Macau Gaming Co., Ltd., was established to compete for the gaming operation rights for Macau Entertainment Group. With 40 years of gaming management experience from the parent company, it successfully divided the Macau gambling industry with two other US funded groups. The situation of Australian entertainment monopolizing gambling operations for 40 years has come to an end on the historical stage, and a new situation will emerge in the future where the three giants of Australian gaming, Galaxy, and Wynn compete for supremacy.