The hotel occupancy rate in Macau is expected to return to pre-pandemic levels this summer, the president of the Travel Industry Council of Macau (TICM), Andy Wu, said on the sidelines of the closing of the 11th edition of the Macao International Travel Industry Expo (MITE).
Speaking to the media on Sunday, Wu noted that this will be the first summer since the return to normality with respect to travel restrictions being lifted. According to Wu, projections are optimistic, with a potential return of the hotel occupancy rate and visitors’ figures seen in 2019 in sight.
Wu noted that some destinations in Asia (such as Japan) are already reporting a full recovery, adding that this should happen in Macau too over summer. He further advanced that the tour operators already have bookings for a large number of tour groups from the mainland. These could reach a number ranging between 150 and 200 per day.
The president of the TICM also stated that, taking all the previous factors into account, it is expected that over the same period, the number of visitors may reach an average of 70,000 per day.
Wu noted that the prices of the tours for both visitors to Macau and residents touring abroad have increased by about 20% to 30% when compared to pre-pandemic times, due to the limited capacity of the airlines, which has resulted in rising airfares.
He says that among the residents going abroad for the holidays, there is 50-50 distribution among those who opted for individual trips and those on organized visits, with the favorite destinations continuing to be Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan.
