The October 1 to 7 National Day Holiday, also known as the “Golden Week” of the National Day, ended last Friday, with the city recording some 182,284 visitor arrivals.
Prior the Golden Week, the Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) announced it expected daily tourist arrival count to reach as high as 25,000, while the Travel Industry Council of Macau forecasted an average of 30,000 tourists per day.
MGTO director, Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, had previously said the office had not expected “very exponential growth [when compared to September’s results].”
The MGTO noted the average daily visitor count was 26,000, an increase of about 32.8% when compared with the average visitor count last month.
With last year’s recorded result of only 1,166 visitors per day, this year’s figure is still the best result of the last three years. In 2020, the same period saw an average of 22,286 visitors per day (-14.3%).
Admitting its forecast was conservative, the MGTO notes visitor figures exceeded expectations.
The MGTO also noted that, over the seven-day holiday, the average occupancy rate of local hotels reached 66.7%, a figure representing an increase of 30% when compared with the corresponding figures in September this year.
Total visitors to Macau over this period were 182,284, with the highest single-day count occurring October 1 when 37,000 people entered the region, the second highest single-day record in 2022.
With a slow recovery, the Golden Week of National Day Holidays is still incredibly far from the results obtained pre-pandemic (2019) when, in the same period, Macau received almost one million visitors with a daily average of around 140,000 people entering the region.
For the MGTO, the results obtained this year suggest there is a “gradual restoration of travelers’ confidence in Macau.”
The entry of more visitors positively affected the hotel occupancy rate. Industry figures indicated an average occupancy rate of 66.7% among local hotels during the National Day Holiday, up 28.1% when compared with the rate in September this year. The occupancy rate on October 2 was the highest on a single day over the week, reaching 81.8%.
Promotional campaigns to continue
Considering the results, the MGTO will continue to push for plans for different tourism products and promotional initiatives on the mainland.
According to the bureau, an “array of promotional events is mapped out for the fourth quarter,” including destination presentations and consumer activities in the Greater Bay Area and mainland cities that have direct flights to Macau.
Promotions will also continue via e-marketing, with the MGTO continuing to promote Macau on platforms such as WeChat, Weibo, Xiaohongshu, Douyin, travel influencers, and news websites on the mainland. These promotions will also include special offers on travel, hotels, and air tickets, launched in ongoing partnerships with e-commerce platforms.
These promotions aim to attract visitors to several festivities that will take place from October to December.
