CNY rush spurs call for seasonal buses next holiday

[Photo; Lynzy Valles]

Opinion leaders from the tourism and community sectors declared the 2026 Lunar New Year Golden Week a success on public broadcaster TDM’s Macau Forum Wednesday, citing record visitor numbers and effective crowd management, while calling for enhanced customs efficiency at Hengqin Port ahead of the May Day and National Day holidays.

Andy Wu, president of the Travel Industry Council of Macau, described the period, with hotel occupancy reaching 95%, as ushering in a “good start,” noting peaks from the third through seventh days of Lunar New Year exceeding 200,000 daily visitors and surpassing previous years’ two- to three-day rushes.

Wu told the live current affairs program, “Macau’s tourism industry can be said to be developing very well, and it has also exceeded 40 million visitors, and when we look at the New Year period, we can use an opening number to describe our Golden Week, because this Golden Week had a nine-day holiday. The average number of tourists visiting Macau was 172,000 per day, and the total number of visitors to Macau was more than 1.55 million.”

Wu also highlighted relatively moderate four- and five-star hotel rates of around RMB 2,000 as tourist-friendly, with mainland visitors’ spending boosted by favorable RMB exchange rates during the period.

Activities supported by the government, such as firework drone shows, float parades, and firecracker zones, also drew large crowds during the holiday.

Choi Chi Seng, deputy director of the General Union of Neighbourhood Associations of Macau’s (UGAMM) District Development Center, praised the zones for safety and spillover effects, stating that they prevented “shoulder-to-shoulder” congestion and encouraged spending beyond typical tourist hotspots.

The experts highlighted pedestrian-only zones in Senado Square and Old Taipa, which diverted crowds to surrounding shops and boosted local business by 30% or more. Choi also credited targeted district activities – such as dragon dances and cultural events – for spreading the festive atmosphere, urging stronger merchant linkages and year-round strategies to better showcase Macau’s “story.”

Meanwhile, Chan Hio Teng, a member of the Central District Community Service Consultative Council, said government preparations such as additional bus routes and tiered crowd-control measures worked well, safely channeling visitors from the Ruins of St. Paul’s to other districts. “If we provide more distinctive attractions and real-time traffic route suggestions, we can better guide the flow of people to different areas – not only informing tourists where traffic is congested, but actively directing them to communities and attractions with lighter traffic. In this way, we can transform passive control into active guidance,” she said.

Chan reaffirmed the 30% to 40% increase in foot traffic reported by nearby merchants, validating “point-to-line” tourism strategies. She also supported technology-driven upgrades such as AI models to analyze port and bus data for crowd forecasting; app alerts via the Macao One Account or tourism platforms to guide visitors to less crowded areas; and dynamic short-route bus services.

“I have also noticed that demand for seasonal bus services among tourists is relatively high, because when tourists come to Macau, in addition to taking casino shuttle buses, they also hope to use local public transportation and experience Macau’s bus routes,” Chan said. She added that seasonal bus routes should operate during peak holidays.

These seasonal routes could allow for better separation between tourists and residents, as most would travel to major tourist areas, reducing pressure on regular bus services used by residents, Chan noted.