Christmas crowds buoy tourism, but visitors cluster at Cotai

The recent Christmas holiday period delivered solid headline numbers for the tourism sector, with industry representatives estimating visitor arrivals rose by nearly 10% year-on-year, hitting a record high for last week.

However, while crowds packed Cotai’s integrated resorts, many local neighborhoods saw little of the festive foot traffic.

Tourism operators said visitor momentum has remained strong throughout the year, with overall arrivals sustaining double-digit annual growth.

The Christmas break, running from the Macau SAR establishment anniversary through the end of the festive season, continued that trend, as provisional data shows the city welcomed a total of 1.14 million tourists from Dec. 20 to Dec. 28.

The holiday period also coincided with a surge in outbound travel by local residents, which dampened activity in community areas.

Media reports noted that most inbound visitors spent their time along the Cotai Strip, where accommodation, shopping, and entertainment are tightly integrated.

Outside those zones, streets in older districts were noticeably quieter, showing the challenge of translating headline visitor numbers into broad-based economic activity.

Operators also noted changing travel patterns among Hong Kong visitors.

In previous years, the Christmas period was a peak season for Hongkongers, many of whom ventured into local neighborhoods to dine and explore.

Today, their options have expanded. Improved cross-border transport links and the rapid emergence of new shopping malls, dining concepts, and lifestyle experiences across mainland China have created strong competition, offering novelty and value for money.

Industry representatives have long called on Macau to sharpen its positioning to draw Hong Kong visitors back. Rather than competing head-on with mainland destinations, the city should focus on differentiated tourism products and experiences that highlight its unique character and cultural depth.

Transport patterns are another key factor. With improvements at Hengqin Port, the light rail system, and casino-operated shuttle buses, many visitors now travel directly from entry points to Cotai resorts and return the same way after completing their itineraries.

Hence, opportunities to divert them into local communities remain limited.

Industry insiders have proposed dedicated sightseeing transport routes linking major visitor gateways with neighborhood districts, with additional stops designed to encourage dining and shopping en route. By scheduling such routes outside residents’ peak travel hours, they believe the services could improve visitor mobility while reducing reliance on casino shuttles.