Inbound package tour visitors up 101.2%, outbound travel by residents climbs

Macau’s tourism sector has shown strong signs of recovery in the first three quarters of 2024, with a significant surge in inbound package tour visitors, particularly from the mainland and international markets.

According to the Statistics and Census Service, the number of inbound package tour visitors jumped 101.2% in the January to September period, reaching 1,497,000. Visitors from mainland China, the region’s largest source market, surged 91% to 1,332,000, while international tour visitors increased by a remarkable 276% to 142,000. The growth was led by a significant rise in visitors from South Korea (387.1%) and India (929.8%).

The hotel sector in Macau also saw improvements, with the average occupancy rate of guest rooms increasing by 4.8 percentage points to 85.4%. The number of hotel guests rose by 11.2% to 10,889,000, with the average length of stay remaining stable at 1.7 nights.

However, a slight softness emerged in September, with inbound package tour visitors dipping 0.5% year-on-year to 134,000. This decline was primarily driven by a 4.4% decrease in mainland Chinese visitors, while international tourists grew by 51.7%.

Outbound travel by Macau residents also experienced robust growth, with the number of residents purchasing outbound travel services through agencies increasing by 46.2% in the first three quarters to 426,000. Package tour travel by residents surged 106.9% to 151,000, with the majority, 137,000, visiting mainland China.

The hotel sector in Macau saw further expansion, with the number of establishments rising by 7 to 144. However, the total number of available guest rooms declined by 3.3% to 44,000. Occupancy rates improved across all hotel categories, with 5-star hotels seeing the largest gain of 6 percentage points to 87.5%.

International guests accounted for 779,000 visitors, an 86.8% jump, led by the Republic of Korea, Japan, Malaysia, Thailand, and Singapore. In September, the occupancy rate climbed 6.4 percentage points to 84.7%, but the total number of guests declined by 2.1% to 1,112,000, with the average length of stay holding steady at 1.6 nights. Victoria Chan