Record 40 million tourists visit in 2025 as total trips reach historic high

Macau welcomed a total of 40.06 million visitors in 2025, contributing to a record 235 million inbound and outbound trips, the Public Security Police Force reported Saturday.

Both figures mark historic highs, reflecting a 9.8% increase year-on-year for total trips. The annual visitor count also represents a 14.7% rise compared with 2024, surpassing the pre-pandemic record of 39.4 million arrivals in 2019 by more than 650,000.

By December 27, Macau had already exceeded figures from six years ago, and tourism continued to surge as the city prepared for New Year festivities.

The tally notably exceeded the Macau Government Tourism Office’s forecast of 39 million visitors, as the bureau exerted efforts in promoting the city outside Macau to also boost international visitors.

Meanwhile, Cheung Kin Chung, president of the Macau Hoteliers and Innkeepers Association, is confident that this year, the total number of visitors to Macau could increase by approximately 5% to 8% year-on-year.

“We are entering 2026 with confidence, and we forecast that the total number of visitors to Macau could increase by approximately 5% to 8% compared with 2025. We are confident that visitor arrivals will continue to rise on the 2025 baseline, with hotel occupancy rates and room prices expected to show steady growth,” he said, as cited in a TDM report.

“In the integration of the city’s culture and tourism, favorable factors continue to emerge. We will seize these opportunities and, under the leadership of the Macau SAR Government, work in coordination to support the government’s law-based administration, ensuring that the development of the tourism industry aligns with Macau’s overall development strategy,” he added.

Cross-border sees 2.39 million passengers

Zhuhai border ports processed a record 2.39 million inbound and outbound passengers at key crossings linking mainland China, Macau, and Hong Kong over China’s three-day New Year’s Day holiday, with multiple New Year’s concerts, countdown ceremonies, and Sands China’s Cotai fireworks displays fueling the rush at Hengqin Port.

New Year’s Day alone drew 830,000 passengers to Zhuhai ports, the highest ever. On the holiday’s second day, Gongbei Port alone hit a six-year daily high of 441,181 crossings.

Provisional statistics from the Public Security Police show Gongbei Port handled 1.24 million travelers during the period. The Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macau Bridge saw around 282,000 entries and exits, while the Macao Port Area at Hengqin Port recorded roughly 364,000, including a single-day peak of over 147,000 on New Year’s Day. Qingmao Port managed a total of around 362,000 entries and exits.

Statistics from the Hengqin Border Inspection Station under the Zhuhai Immigration Inspection General Station showed 147,259 inbound and outbound passengers inspected on Jan. 1. Authorities announced that this set a new historical record for single-day traffic at the port and marked an 84% year-on-year increase from the same day last year.

Data showed that from 0:00 to 5:00 on Jan. 1, returning passengers after New Year’s events reached 32,000 at Hengqin Port, 2.4 times the volume during the same period on New Year’s Day in 2025 and 12 times regular weekday levels.

During the early hours on Jan. 1, more than 11,000 inbound and outbound vehicles were inspected at Hengqin Port. Single-plate vehicles exceeded 7,000, making up about 63% of the total.