Inside Asian Gaming

IAG JAPAN MAR 2019 44 JAPAN THE OSAKA IR PROJECT STARTED IN 2010 Osaka prefecture and city first expressed interest in IRs back in 2010. Since then it has repeatedly been one step forward and one step back, although it was in 2014 that Yumeshima was selected as the candidate location. In response to the 2016 IR Promotion Development Law two years later, the prefecture and city established the IR Promotion Bureau in 2017. As IAG has learned, the bureau will be enhanced to include 38 members this Spring, when the bidding activities really start to heat up, and JPY30 million (US$270,000) has been set aside in the 2019 budget bill. OSAKA’S INFLUX OF INBOUND VISITORS Meanwhile, foreign visitation to Osaka has increased dramatically. In 2010, when the IR vision was first announced, visitor numbers were only 2.35 million but by 2015 they had reached 7.16 million. By 2017 this number increased to 11.1 million. According to statistics of one major US credit company, it boasts the highest rate of growth of any city in the world. But what is attracting all these inbound customers? One is the “eat til you drop” food culture. There are a number of tourist spots in Osaka including Dotonbori, Nipponbashi, Universal Studios Japan and Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan, plus it’s within a stone’s throw of the historical cities of Kyoto and Nara. A PARTNER, NOT A PRESSURE GROUP Operator selection will come down to tourism and city development. The aim of the Local Alliance is to expand the reach of the charms of Kansai further. The key to achieving this are initiatives for tourism and city development. Once open, the IR will consist of many different features. In addition to the F&B, tourism and entertainment industries, there will be transportation infrastructure, including taxis, buses and watercraft, connecting the facilities with the tourist locations. Of course, with large casino hotels also comes a massive sheet and towel cleaning task. Hori Osaka’s Tenjin Matsuri Festival 大阪の天神祭り