Macau Records 1.1M Visitors During Golden Week

Macau authorities announced that it approximately 1.1 million people have visited the special administrative region during the National Day holiday period known as Golden Week. This figure exceeded the projected target of 130,000 daily arrivals.

Visitation Increased Dramatically

The period between September 29 and October 6 saw a daily average of 138,000 visitors and is in line with the Macau Government Tourism Office’s forecasts. Arrivals reached a peak of over 174,000 visitors on October 4.

The October 4 figure notably marked a new single-day high for the National Day holidays, attesting to Macau’s post-COVID recovery.

Overall, the period recorded 2.21 million inbound and outbound trips, most of which went through the Border Gate, Hengqin Port and the Hong King-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge. Visitation from Hong Kong experienced a significant decrease although the decline was offset by higher visitation from other regions.

The high visitation rates were a boon to the local economy, which received a significant boost.

The Casino Sector Could Do More to Encourage Tourism

Golden Week, for context, commemorates the anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China. As such it is a very busy season for tourism and is often used to measure the health levels of the Macau industry.

According to reports, the hotel sector reported that the hotel occupancy rate hit a stellar 95%. The average rates for rooms were reported to be on par with the 2019 levels, further underscoring Macau’s strong rebounding.

Tourism also benefited small and medium-sized enterprises that were likewise able to return to pre-pandemic levels in terms of transactions. Andy Wu, chairman of the Federal General Commercial Association of Macau SMEs, noted that smaller firms should now learn how to better serve younger people in order to further boost their businesses.

Sam Hou Fai, the sole Macau chief executive candidate, on the other hand, suggested that casinos need to enhance their entertainment schedule in order to attract more people. He noted that local operators should learn from Las Vegas and invite celebrities for residency shows.

Sam Hou Fai implied that the sector is somewhat lagging behind and not as competitive as other tourism drivers.

In the meantime, Macau continues its efforts to keep offshore operators away and recently announced that it has blocked thousands of illegal websites.