Tourism | First quarter visitors rise to surpass 10m mark

The number of visitors to Macau in the first quarter of 2019 rose more than 21% year-on- year surpassing the 10 million mark, according to the latest official data from immigration authorities. In the same period, the number of entries and exits via ports of Macau reached 48.4 million, up 12.6%.

The rapid rise in the number of visitors comes at a time when concerns of over-tourism in Macau are rife. Last year’s influx of 35.8 million tourists represented an almost 10% rise from 32.6 million in 2017, according to official data. The number of visitors in January 2019 rose 24.9% year-
on-year, while those in February increased by 15.5% year-on-year.

As for the upcoming Easter holidays between April 19 and 22, immigration authorities estimate that there will be around 2.3 million entries and exits during the period, though most of these will not be tourists.

Nevertheless, the Public Security Police Force warns that the flow of people will increase significantly during the holiday period and it will continue to deploy “measures to divert passengers and maintain order.”

The PSP are asking the public and motorists to maintain tolerance in places where there are many people or vehicles. DB