Although there is a one year window before the Integrated Resort (IR) license is issued, interested parties are planning out their strategies. Ever since the government of Japan had announced that the process will commence in January of 2021, cities have been busy working their way to secure one of the three licenses.
Osaka as one of the contending cities, has partnered with MGM Resorts on developing the request for proposal (RFP). The city officials had earlier on announced that the process would commence in December which is now a few days shy.
As mentioned by CalvinAyre.com, the process would involve preparing a schedule that will comprise of the partners who would play a part in the project. This is an important step since the partners will reinforce the city’s chances of winning the bid for the IR license. Osaka hopes to wind up the process by June next year.
MGM Resorts has been confirmed to be one of the very first partners in Osaka’s RFP process. And since the city is already moving forward with its plans, other partners are coming on board. For instance, Orix Corporation, a Japanese financial service group has also been mentioned among the city’s partners.
A spokesperson of the MGM Resorts commented on the partnership in a statement quoted by CalvinAyre.com. In the statement, the spokesperson mentioned that MGM and Orix possess strong bases in both Kansai and Osaka, thus make them the ideal partners for the city.
The two partners along with others will strengthen the city’s partnership and will achieve an appealing IR that will hoist the flags of Kanasai and Osaka to the rest of the globe.
The spokesperson further explained that through the IR, Japan would be able to attract foreign tourists to the country. With a plan to offer memorable experiences for foreigners, the Osaka IR will boost the tourism industry as it will be the entry point for the tourists.
Osaka set the June 2020 date in order to meet their long term target of having an integrated resort before the 2025 World Expo. However, some concerns have been raised regarding the realizing of the construction deadlines. Another concern that may interfere with Osaka’s plans is that there is a possibility of construction overlaps where crews work on the Expo as the resort construction is still ongoing.
Amidst the concerns, the city is positive that project will be completed in time for the event that will attract worldwide attention.
Japan’s IR license has attracted various cities and prefectures. Osaka which is also in the race is considered an upper-tier contender in the competition. The city will be up against the likes of Nagasaki, Hokkaido, Nagoya, Yokohama, Chiba, Tokyo, Kitakyushu City and Wakayama.
Proposals from the various regions will be officially accepted by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism in January 2021. The closing date for the proposal collection will be on the July of 2021. The contenders have a whole year to work out their strategies.
