Visitor arrivals drop by over one-third after Golden Week

The number of visitor arrivals to Macau has fallen after the “Golden Week of the National Day Holidays,” with figures dipping below the 100,000 daily mark, according to border crossing statistics from the Public Security Police Force (PSP).

From Oct. 11 to Oct. 13, the average of visitors was 93,907, a 33.81% decrease from the 141,874 daily average recorded during the Golden Week.

Consistent with ordinary weekends, Sunday remained the busiest day for border crossings, with 98,293 visitors entering Macau. On the other days, the daily count hovered around 90,000 per day.

During the Golden Week, Macau recorded an average of 141,874 daily arrivals, representing a 22.9% and 1.9% rise compared with the National Day holiday in 2023 and 2019 respectively.

The daily average exceeded that of the National Day holiday in 2019 and reached an all-time high since the recording of official statistics for National Day holidays began.

The single-day visitor arrivals peaked at 174,000 on Oct. 3, accounting for both the volumes of average daily and single-day visitor arrivals, also reaching the highest records for National Day holidays. In the same period, the average hotel occupancy rate reached 94.5%.

More international visitors now

Interestingly, the number of international visitors is far higher now than it was during the Golden Week.

From Sept. 29 to Oct. 6, the number of international visitors averaged 6,514. However, from Oct. 11 to 13, it averaged 10,218, peaking on Friday, Oct. 11, when 11,287 international visitors entered Macau.

This means the number of international visitors increased by 56.9% when compared with the Golden Week average.

The data also revealed that international visitors, as well as those from Hong Kong and Taiwan, tended to arrive in Macau on Fridays, whereas mainland visitors tended to arrive on Sundays.

International visitors now account for about 6% of total arrivals, while the mainland continues to lead with an overwhelming majority share of 76%.