Tourism | Travel agency employment down 5.3 percent

A total of 256 travel agencies were operating in Macau last year, according to information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC). This was an increase of six from 2015. However, despite the increase in the number of agencies, the total number of people they employed decreased by 239 to 4,246, a decrease of about 5.3 percent.

Revenue and expenditure of travel agencies amounted to a combined MOP6.53 billion and MOP6.3 billion respectively, up slightly by 0.5 percent and 0.9 percent year-on-year. Gross value added, a measure of the sectorial contribution to the economy, dropped by 1 percent year-on-year to MOP944 million. Gross fixed capital formation fell by 11.4 percent to MOP142 million.

Among the various revenue-generating categories, package tours (MOP2 billion), room reservations (MOP1.12 billion), and coach rentals (MOP977 million) rose by 2.5 percent, 2 percent and 15.6 percent respectively year-on-year.

Owing to the growing popularity of booking tickets online through other travel websites, revenue from passenger transport ticketing (MOP1.78 billion) registered continuous decline, down by 6.2 percent year-
on-year, although less than the 18.1 percent year-
on-year decrease seen in 2015.

The purchase of goods and services and commission paid accounted for three-quarters of the sector’s expenditure, decreasing by 1.6 percent year-on-year to MOP4.73 billion. Expenditure on passenger transport ticketing (MOP1.78 billion) dropped by 6.4 percent, while that of package tours (MOP1.54 billion) and room reservations (MOP1.13 billion) rose by 1 percent and 1.7 percent respectively.

According to DSEC, operating expenses (MOP858 million) and compensation of employees (MOP716 million) went up by 15.3 percent and 2.9 percent respectively year-on-year.

With a decrease in the number of visitors on package tours as well as fewer outbound residents using the services of travel agencies, receipts of the 16 travel agencies with 50 or more persons engaged slid by 7.4 percent year-on-year to MOP2.24 billion. Expenditure of these 16 travel agencies amounted to MOP2.07 billion, down by 4.7 percent year-
on-year.

However, revenue of the 138 travel agencies with less than 10 employees rose by 19.6 percent year-on-year to MOP1.5 billion, half of which (MOP752 million) was generated from passenger transport ticketing, representing an increase of 9.1 percent. However expenditure by these groups grew by 19.1 percent to MOP1.52 billion, with purchase of goods and services and commission paid constituting 88 percent.