Macau is expecting an average of 20,000 to 30,000 daily visitor arrivals during the forthcoming peak holiday season of Christmas and New Year’s Eve, said Deputy Director of the Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) Ricky Hoi.
Prior to Covid-19, holidaymakers from Hong Kong and Taiwan accounted for the largest number of arrivals to visit the city during the Christmas period. However, the MGTO is anticipating the daily number will decline to around 20,000 to 30,000 at the end of this festive month, mostly due to the impact of the pandemic and travel restrictions, which are still in place.
In October, the city registered 581,986 travelers, up 29.6% month-to-month, yet down 81.9% year-over-year. Mainland visitors represented the biggest share of all arrivals in the month, at around 77.3%, while those from Hong Kong and Taiwan contributed around 16.4% and 2%, respectively, as stated by the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC).
Hoi revealed that the city has recently seen an average of 20,000 daily arrivals. On November 20, the first day of the Macau Grand Prix, the city recorded over 28,000 visitor arrivals, making it the highest daily tally over the past nine months.
In response to the media’s query on whether the cancelation of the 2020 Macao Countdown Event and the following Fireworks Display would dampen tourism performance, Hoi said Macau’s Christmas light displays and attractive packages rolled out by local hotels would be drawcards for visitors.
Moreover, the MGTO will step up efforts to promote the city as a “safe city destination” to draw more mainland visitors in the future, he added.
Regarding celebratory events during Lunar New Year, Hoi added that “[the MGTO] is still evaluating the situation to see if there are any favorable conditions to host the events.” MGTO is working with the Health Bureau to assess the crowd density at the proposed events and the effects on the development of the pandemic during this period. Staff Reporter
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