Hotel occupancy up to 90% for upcoming Lunar New Year

Tourism authorities are anticipating 120,000 daily visitors during the upcoming Lunar New Year holiday period, which could mean almost 1 million tourists visiting the city during the 8-day Lunar New Year period.

Hotel reports indicate a room occupancy rate between 80 to 90%.

All six gaming companies have reported “full” bookings for the upcoming holiday season, according to Lou Chi Leong, president of the Association of Macao Tourist Agents, as cited in a Macao Daily News report.

Small and medium-sized hotels are also experiencing a growing booking rate of 80 to 90% for the peak of the festive occasion, starting this weekend.

Macau will host a wide range of activities and events to celebrate the arrival of the Year of the Dragon and attract visitors to the city.

In addition to the government-led Lunar New Year campaign, which includes traditional New Year dragon dances and the Parade for Celebration of the Year of the Dragon, each casino operator has prepared a variety of celebratory events, markets and other festive activities in their respective designated zones.

Furthermore, operators have been conducting training programs for service staff to better cater to the different international guests expected to visit the city during this holiday season, with a particular focus on ensuring industry professionals gain a better understanding of Islamic culture.

Regarding room rates, industry professionals have predicted a 20 to 30% increase.

“There are over 40,000 guest rooms in Macau available, and the supply and demand dynamics are less strained compared to previous years,” Lou stated.

Hoffman Ma, deputy chairman of Success Universe Group, also expressed optimism about the strong tourism momentum emerging last month.

According to Ma, a decent hotel stay could range from MOP2,000 to MOP3,000 per night, representing a slight decrease compared to the pre-pandemic year of 2019. Staff Reporter