Only a few tourists crisscrossed the wavy black and white paving of Macao's historic Senado Square on a recent weekday and many of the shops were shuttered. The gaming hub on China's south coast near Hong Kong has endured some of the world's strictest anti-virus controls for nearly three years, and a loosening of border restrictions after China rolled back its 'zero-COVID' strategy in early December is widely expected to boost its tourism-driven economy.