Macau has taken its first steps on the road to recovery as the casino capital starts issuing tourist visas again.

Asia's gambling hub became a ghost town after coronavirus lockdowns saw a severe downturn in visitors.

Macau authorities said they will slowly start handing out tourist visas from Wednesday to bring gamblers back.

Casino operators have been losing $15m (£11.5m) daily in expenses, according to estimates, BBC reported.

Visas for both individuals and group tours from mainland China will be restored in phases. Macau, like Hong Kong, is a special administrative region (SAR) of China.

Authorities did not say when visas will be made available to tourists wanting to travel to Macau from outside China.