Q11:The Government is overstating the economic case for casinos. Won't casinos cannibalise and damage surrounding hotels, entertainment venues or convention facilities? Ans:Not all casinos are integrated resorts. The type of integrated resort we are looking for is one that will attract more international visitors and grow the tourism pie. This will grow the economic opportunities for other businesses. The case study of Atlantis in the Bahamas is instructive. A few years after Kerzner International transformed Atlantis in the Bahamas into a destination resort in 1995, visitor arrivals increased. Tourism expenditure steadily increased to US$1.67 billion by 2000, compared to about US$1.33 billion in 1994, and the revenue per available room night also increased sharply over the years from US$43 to US$138 over the same period. Other properties, following Kerzner's successful example, began to upgrade. The total number of completed construction projects also increased significantly, peaking at US$512 million in 1998. (See figure 4 below).
