Macau expects visitor growth, but legislators push for tourism upgrades

[Photo: Lynzy Valles]

Macau is forecasting continued growth in visitor arrivals, supported by rising international tourist numbers, but lawmakers are pressing the government to enhance the city’s tourism offerings and better distribute economic benefits across local communities.

During his European visit, Chief Executive (CE) Sam Hou Fai summarized his itinerary in Spain on Wednesday, local time, addressing media concerns over the impact of the global situation on Macau’s tourism industry.

“Our assessment is that Macau’s tourism sector continues to move forward steadily,” he told accompanying reporters. “In the first quarter, we welcomed 750,000 international visitors, representing a 10% increase compared to the same period last year,” he reportedly said, expressing optimism about Macau’s annual visitor growth.

As reported, amid concerns that international oil prices could impact Macau’s tourism industry, the CE responded: “The current global situation remains complex and volatile.” He further noted that when it comes to attracting international visitors, “Macau’s tourism market is significantly affected by fluctuations in the status of Middle Eastern aviation hubs” – adding that this is due to the Middle East’s aviation hub status being impacted to some extent.

Notably, Macau welcomed more than 40 million visitors last year, with international arrivals from Spain and across Europe registering double-digit year-on-year growth.

With Macau’s tourism industry now fully recovered, inbound visitor arrivals during the 2026 Lunar New Year holiday set a new record, reaching 1.212 million during the first seven days of the mainland Chinese Spring Festival Golden Week – averaging over 173,000 per day. From the third to the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, daily visitor numbers exceeded 210,000.

However, some legislators have expressed concern that, with hotels nearing full occupancy, relying solely on visitor growth is no longer sufficient to fully reflect the benefits of tourism. Local businesses continue to report that “more people do not necessarily mean more revenue.”

Citing feedback from community merchants, lawmaker Chan Lai-kei noted that many residential districts have failed to fully benefit from the tourism boom, creating a structural imbalance of “uneven distribution” – with visitor traffic heavily concentrated in traditional core areas such as the Ruins of St. Paul’s and integrated resort complexes.

She suggested that the government should leverage the resources of integrated resort operators to provide dedicated incentives for tourists to venture into local communities, thereby “bringing tourists into the neighborhoods.”

Chan also proposed enhancing payment convenience and language services for international visitors. In response, the Macau Government Tourism Office (MGTO) stated that authorities are studying improvements to mobile payment services, including allowing international visitors to directly link overseas bank cards to local payment apps or top up local stored-value cards. Meanwhile, bus and light rapid transit (LRT) systems are being optimized to support a wider range of payment tools.

Concurrently, lawmaker Ella Lei has raised concerns over the carrying capacity of Macau’s old districts as tourist numbers increase. She hopes authorities will build on a plan announced Wednesday – which involves collaborating with integrated resort operators to launch leisure shuttle buses directing tourists into local communities – by strengthening ties with the “Walking Through Macau’s Streets” initiative and district revitalization projects.

Measures such as streetscape enhancements, improved guided tours, and better pedestrian signage could further develop distinctive tourism routes, creating synergies and enhancing the overall visitor experience.

Lei noted that some shuttle bus drop-off points are surrounded by relatively few shops, leaving room for improvement in supporting amenities. Using the Inner Harbour as an example, she called for the development of a themed route stretching from the Patane area, through Praça Ponte Horta, to the Barra area – with the waterfront near the Patane Market as its backbone – integrating Macau’s former fishing port culture and historical narratives.

Lei also urged authorities to carefully assess the scale of such routes, recommending cautious observation of their impact on local traffic during the initial phase.

She suggested optimizing bus stops, strengthening data collection and analysis – including tourist flows, movement patterns, traffic conditions, and holiday variations – and dynamically adjusting shuttle bus frequencies and routes based on real-world conditions to achieve a balance between tourism development and the needs of local residents.