Hotel rep expects surge in mainland Chinese visitor arrivals this weekend

The Macau Hotel Association anticipates a surge in mainland Chinese visitors arriving in Macau for the May Day holiday on Friday and Saturday.

The five-day May Day holiday in mainland China kicks off tomorrow and runs through Monday.

The Macau Government Tourism Office (MGTO) anticipates an average daily influx of visitors ranging from 127,000 to 140,000, projecting a total of about 634,000 to 700,000 visitors throughout the holiday period.

In an interview with Macao Daily News yesterday, the association’s chairperson, Wong Suk Yan, noted that Macau’s current hotel occupancy rate stands at about 70%. She also indicated that the peak period for hotel bookings is anticipated from May 2 to May 3.

Regarding room rates, the sector representative pointed out that hotel prices in Macau have been steadily declining since the Lunar New Year. As a result, current rates for the May Day holiday are about 20% lower than those during the same period last year.

Representing local hoteliers, she reportedly expressed optimism and confidence about the future.

Meanwhile, MGTO announced Tuesday its cooperation with travel agency Trip.com to release a weekly indicator of mainland Chinese visitor arrivals in Macau on the newly established “Macao Tourism Data Plus” platform every Monday.

The authorities stated that this measure aims to assist the local tourism and hotel industry in better understanding trends in mainland visitors staying in Macau, allowing them to implement more effective preparations for their operations.

Free bus and ferry fares for foreign tourists return

In a separate statement, MGTO announced the relaunch of its incentives offering free bus and ferry fares for foreign tourists traveling from Hong Kong to Macau, effective tomorrow.

According to the statement issued yesterday, this collaboration once again brings together Macau HK Airport Direct, TurboJET, and Cotai Water Jet. The initiative, running through the end of the year, aims to further ignite international tourists’ interest in visiting Macau and to expand the city’s customer base.

The program was first launched by the authorities in February last year. According to MGTO statistics, the 11-month promotional initiative, running from February to December, attracted over 310,000 foreign visitors to Macau from Hong Kong for tourism and consumption, achieving “satisfactory results.”