South Korea still dominates Macau’s tourism market

Macau’s tourism office announced yesterday that South Korea continues to be the leading source market for international visitors, with over 234,000 arrivals recorded as of last Wednesday.

In a statement, the Macau Government Tourism Office (MGTO) noted that “as of May 16, Macau had welcomed nearly 234,514 Korean visitors, solidifying its status as the top source market for international visitors.”

The latest figures indicate a 26% increase compared to the same period in 2024 and reflect a recovery to 65% of arrivals from the same time in 2019, the MGTO stated.

South Korea has long been identified as Macau’s largest international source market, with over 190,000 visitors recorded as of May 21 last year. This figure accounted for 93.9% of the total number of Korean visitors in 2023 and represented a 52% recovery compared to the same period in 2019.

According to the Statistics and Census Bureau (DSEC), international visitor arrivals reached 912,456 in the first four months of this year, with 682,442 visitors in the first quarter, representing a year-on-year increase of 16.9%. In April alone, arrivals totaled 230,014.

In April, the Southeast Asian market recorded 43,000 visitors from the Philippines, 20,000 from Thailand, and 19,000 from Indonesia, reflecting year-on-year increases of 20.2%, 24.1%, and 0.4%, respectively. Visitors from Malaysia and Singapore numbered 14,000 and 7,000, marking decreases of 17.6% and 8.7% year over year.

From South Asia, there were 12,000 Indian visitors, up 50% year over year, while Northeast Asia saw 8,646 Japanese visitors, an increase of 4.1%. Among long-haul visitors, the United States recorded 13,000 arrivals, up 4.3%.

However, South Korean visitors decreased by 0.7% to 37,215 last month.

“This April, the average length of Korean visitors’ overnight stay in Macau was 2.2 days,” the MGTO stated, referencing its “2024 Travel Behavior Survey,” which revealed that the travel intention of Korean visitors reached 87.8% between 2024 and 2025.

The tourism authorities emphasized that the city’s air connectivity with South Korea is a boon for mutual exchange and business expansion in the tourism sector, noting that the air transport network between Macau and Korea is steadily growing, with about 35 weekly flights currently operating.

As pointed out by the MGTO in a statement last year, the number of weekly direct flights between Macau and Seoul increased to 35 after the launch of Korean Air’s route, along with an additional three weekly flights to Busan Metropolitan City.

In March, Macau International Airport Co. Ltd. (CAM) revealed that new airlines are expected to enter the market in the second and third quarters of this year, including Jeju Air from South Korea, which planned to resume its Jeju-Macau route in May. Another South Korean airline has also expressed its intention to launch a Macau–Cheongju route within the year.

Meanwhile, in an effort to strengthen South Korea’s position as the largest international visitor market in Macau, the MGTO announced its roadshow in Seoul from May 30 to June 2. “The initiative aims to spark interest among Koreans, particularly Millennials and Gen Z travelers, in visiting Macau this summer and in the latter half of the year,” it noted.