An Analysis of the Importance of Local Support Factors of the Development of Integrated Resorts

Abstract

The casino-based integrated resort (IR), which started in Las Vegas in the United States, has moved to Asia and successfully opened Macau's IR and Singapore's Marina Bay Sands. As of 2019, three IRs, Inspire, Paradise City, and Midan City, are being constructed in Yeongjongdo Island and, among them, Paradise City is currently in operation after completing its first stage of development. Although the planned creation of three integrated resorts on Yeongjongdo Island was accompanied by the government's policy support and legal support, the support of the local residents for the IR development projects can have a different effect from that of other areas. For the development of integrated resorts, not only the policy and legal support but also the local support is an important factor. So, this study was conducted focusing on which part of the integrated resort development project should be considered important to get sufficient local support. The results of this study showed that the resort operators and local residents have different opinions on the importance of local support factors. The so-called integrated resort experts considered the environmental and socio-cultural factors important, while the local residents considered factors such as the establishment and completion of the development plan as well as the sustainability as the most important factors. It is expected that this study will contribute to the formation of trust in the relevant policies by disclosing the contents of the implementation and system improvement of IR development projects and providing participation opportunities for residents in the process. This study will be also able to provide objective guidance in decision-making to policymakers who plan the development of such integrated resorts by identifying the factors important to elicit support from the local residents in advance, as well as to public or private developers who want to proceed with IR development projects.