CNY tourist numbers over MGTO’s expectations

The total number of visitor arrivals for the 2019 Chinese New Year holiday had already exceeded last year’s figures, with nearly 1.4 million tourists recorded visiting the region as of yesterday afternoon.

According to data issued by the Public Security Police Force, Macau received a total of 84,799 visitors on the first day, the majority of which came through the Outer Harbor.

As of the sixth day of the Lunar New Year, 511,939 tourists passed through the Border Gate to visit the region.

During the Golden Dragon Parade on Thursday, Director of the Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes said that the number of incoming visitors had exceeded the office’s expectations.

Previously, the official had estimated that visitor arrivals would increase by 8 to 9 percent during the seven-day period.

“It seems to be attracting a lot of people, so definitely we’re looking for a prosperous New Year; and as far as I know in terms of the numbers we’ve seen so far, this has been over our expectations. So obviously, we’ll need to see what pans out in the next few days,” Fernandes told TDM on the sidelines of the event.

Total mainland visitor arrivals as of Saturday totaled to 768,817, of which nearly 471,900 passed through the Border Gate.