100,000 daily visitors expected during Golden Week

The government anticipates that China’s National Day Golden Week holiday will be the next peak period for Macau tourist arrivals, forecasting an average of 100,000 visitors per day.

Golden Week in mainland China will last for seven days from Oct. 1 to 7. After the Spring Festival Golden Week and the May Day Golden Week, National Day Golden Week is considered the third most important period for tourism in the annual calendar.

In a recent interview with local media, Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, Director of the Macau Government Tourism Office (MGTO), stated, “This year’s National Day Golden Week will be marked by an international fireworks display, which is expected to attract more tourists to Macau.” She added, “Although the government has not yet compiled the statistics, we hope that the National Day Golden Week will attract a daily average of 100,000 visitors to Macau.”

According to the government’s provisional figures, Macau saw 3.66 million visitor arrivals in August, reflecting a 13% increase over the same period last year. Senna Fernandes described summer holiday visitor numbers as “very encouraging,” with a daily average of 118,000 arrivals in August. This exceeds the daily average of 117,000 during the same period in 2019.

MGTO data shows Macau welcoming nearly 6.685 million visitor arrivals during this year’s summer holiday months of July and August, with a combined daily average of 108,000 arrivals.

During last year’s National Day Golden Week, which lasted for eight days from Sept. 29 to Oct. 6, Macau recorded a total of 931,000 visitor arrivals, averaging around 116,000 visitors per day. The travel industry anticipates this year’s figure could surpass that, suggesting MGTO’s forecast may be conservative.

Additionally, the “Mid-Autumn Moon Night Fun” festival kicked off yesterday at Areia Preta Park, attracting a lively crowd. Activities included lantern riddle guessing and a grapefruit peeling competition, delighting participants of all ages. The event was held at 203 Estrada de Marginal da Areia Preta.

Children expressed excitement about their plans, with one mentioning a family dinner followed by lantern play with friends. Another shared that her parents brought her to the festival after school to enjoy the festive atmosphere. Hosted by the Amizade dos Moradores da zona de Nordeste de Macau, the event aims to foster community connections and create a harmonious neighborhood during this cherished festival season.

In China, the country expected to see an average of 1.8 million daily cross-border trips around this year’s Mid-Autumn Festival holiday, a 21.9% increase from the same period last year, official data shows.

The Mid-Autumn Festival is one of China’s most important traditional holidays. Taking place annually on the 15th day of the eighth month in the Chinese lunar calendar, it will be observed on Sept. 17 this year.

Nadia Shaw