For online casinos, getting customers onto the platform is relatively easy. All they have to do is sign up from the comfort of their sofa, and the furthest they will have to travel is upstairs to find a phone charger to play a little longer. For casinos that operate in areas with high levels of tourism, though, the operators have to be a bit more strategic with their approach. Thankfully, the nature of integrated resorts means there are more opportunities to organize attractions and events.
Macau
When Studio City, operated by Melco Resorts and Entertainment, announced that it would be adding an iRad Hospital to the property, the decision certainly turned heads. What business could a hospital possibly have in an integrated casino resort? Well, as it turns out, healthcare tourism is a major emerging sector in the country and is one of the main pillars in Macau’s "1+4" diversification strategy.
Two of the other pillars, modern financial services and high technology, seem pretty entwined with casinos already. However, the fourth pillar is the most interesting, being conventions and exhibitions to showcase sports and culture.
Macau has a wealth of different cultural attractions, such as A-Ma Temple, the Ruins of Saint Paul, Kun Iam, the Macao Giant Panda Pavilion Zoo and the dozens of gardens scattered around the jurisdiction. It might be too far-fetched to pitch Melco integrating a Buddhist temple into an integrated resort, but there is still scope for culturally aligned experiences to be created alongside the casinos.
South Korea
For a country that only allows citizens to play at one casino and forbids any others, South Korea has managed to position itself fairly well for international visitors. Both Inspire Entertainment Resort and Paradise City are located just a few minutes away from Incheon International Airport via free shuttle buses.
Just as Macau integrated medical tourism into its resorts, South Korea has already created opportunities for some of the biggest K-Pop artists to perform at Inspire Arena. But in the wake of the Hallyu, or Korean Wave, more people than ever are visiting Korea to catch their favorite artists in concert, visit iconic locations or even stock up on skincare. After all, in 2025, Korea overtook France to become the world's second-largest exporter of beauty products with around $10bn in sales.
The average K-pop fan is 23 years old and over half are women, with much of this demographic also interested in K-dramas and beauty lines. As such, South Korea has quite a unique opportunity to attract young women to its integrated casino resorts. A simple product launch, meet and greet or themed experience hosted within the casino itself could potentially skyrocket visitor numbers.
Sri Lanka
Melco’s City of Dreams Sri Lanka is one of the latest resorts to open in Asia, with the doors opening to the public on 2 August, 2025. The $850m private investment was the largest in Sri Lanka’s history and is expected to become the hub of MICE tourism on the island.
This marks quite the detour from traditional Sri Lankan tourism attractions, with most of them classified as natural or cultural. Most of the main attractions include wildlife tours, archaeological or religious sites or shopping in markets for local artisanal gifts. However, the operator does have the opportunity to launch guided tours or excursions from the property to integrate these aspects into the experience.
While travelers are always encouraged to contribute to the local economy while in a foreign country, a well-known brand like Melco may boost the confidence of potential visitors who may have found the prospect of researching island hotels daunting. According to the latest statistics, the countries with the most amount of people visiting Sri Lanka are India, the UK, Russia, Germany, China, France, Australia, the Netherlands and the US.
Japan
Finally, MGM Osaka is predicted to open in Japan around 2030 as the first casino to officially be built in the country. Although Japan has been rather infamously against casino tourism in the past, neighboring countries are beginning to outpace it in this industry, leaving Japan in the risky position of being left behind.
In 2025, 40 million tourists visited Japan and spent $69bn, both all-time highs. Many of the tourism guides cite seasonal beauty, history, culture, hot springs and historical towns as major attractions. However, for younger visitors, many of them visited Japan due to their love of anime and manga.
Along with the 2,500 guest hotel rooms and 3,500-seat theatre, MGM Osaka will also feature 730,000 square feet in convention space. This makes it the perfect location to host Comic Con-style events that would invite hundreds of thousands of young visitors to the area, similar to how Inspire Arena has become the destination for international K-Pop fans.
Conclusion
Ultimately, integrated resorts offer a seamless opportunity to attract visitors in areas of high tourism, simply because of their hotel and MICE facilities. Recognizable names such as Melco boost visitor confidence when traveling abroad, while countries like South Korea and Japan have created such distinct markets for themselves that marketing towards these demographics is pretty easy. People already know what sort of experiences they want to get out of these destinations, and are simply exploring to see which company can realize these expectations.
In January 2026, several land-based casinos in South Korea published positive results, including growing visitor numbers and table drop
