ASIA force to deliver the mega resorts . So , the challenge for us is getting people to be based in Macau to live there for a number of years and to cover that cost . It actually turns into quite an expensive place to build and has become one of the most expensive in the world .
The construction cost , salaries and everything are higher than Hong Kong , actually , and although this market has proved successful for WTP , it comes with truly significant challenges . The boom and bust in Macau goes from one end of the scale to the other . There could be very few projects for a couple of years and then suddenly all the gaming operators will simultaneously launch their next phase of major projects . Consequently , our headcount in Macau from 2004 until today , has varied between two and 50 people and it ’ s gone up and down quite a few times with the cycles of work .
I guess there ’ s two parts to the Macau market , one being a very local market that seldom uses quantity surveyors at all with the other being the five or six international businesses who have the gaming licenses now , for example MGM , Wynn , Melco and a few more .
Actually , these opportunities all start with architects and engineers designing in Hong Kong and then become a Macau project with a lot of people moving to Macau to work on the procurement and construction .
Increasingly , we are also seeing demand to service projects in Taiwan , South Korea and Japan which are markets that we are looking at the potential for future expansion , each being subject to timing and a deliverable business model .
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