Last June, Resorts World Manila suffered a nightmarish attack by a gunman who set fire to the second floor casino area, leaving 36 dead and more than 50 injured before killing himself. The Philippines and its first integrated resort each faced a major reckoning and each took decisive steps to spur recovery. A year on, tourist arrivals and casino revenue have continued to grow, but that doesn’t mean the challenges are over.
The attack highlighted longstanding security concerns for Philippine visitors. In its wake, Travellers International Hotel Group, the joint venture between Lim Kok Thay's Genting Group’s Hong Kong arm and local billionaire Andrew Tan’s Alliance Global Group that owns Resorts World Manila, reached out for help. “We engaged one of the top private security consultants in the world to undertake a full review of our safety and security protocols,” Travellers Chief Operating Officer Stephen Reilly says. “We took their recommendations and put them in place immediately.”