The year of 2020, which was marked by narratives of illness, unemployment and grief, had finally turned the tide and culminated with a record daily number of 30,747 visitor arrivals to Macau on December 31 over the course of the last 11 months, according to the official figures released yesterday.
The high was registered on New Year’s Eve, which proceeded the second highest number of 28,247 visitors on November 20 during the Macau Grand Prix race practice day; and the third highest of 27,755 on Christmas Day, December 25.
Macau drew an average daily volume of 21,242 visitor arrivals during the New Year holiday from December 31, 2020 to January 3, 2021, representing a 13.1% improvement from October.
Regarding the average daily arrivals, 19,629 were mainland visitors. Hong Kong, Taiwan and international markets contributed 1,368, 242 and 3 visitors, respectively.
Meanwhile, the occupancy rate of hotels stood at 67.2% during the 4-day New Year holiday, up 15.1%, 23.3% and 27.4% from December, November and October last year, respectively.
The latest occupancy figure is another testament to the city’s recovering tourist numbers, which have been rising.
By further breaking down the overall occupancy figure, the occupancy rates of 3-star, 4-star and 5-star hotels were 73%, 69.9% and 67.6% respectively.
There was also increased buoyancy in the hotel market. This was borne out by the city’s higher average room rate at MOP1,128 during the holiday period, showing a hike of 21.7% from December.
When compared to October, which marked the Golden Week, another peak season for mainland holidaymakers, the occupancy figures registered during the New Year holiday still maintained a lead of 7.6%.
In the wake of the reinstatement of travel permit issuance for all mainland residents from September 23 last year, the city’s tourism has gradually picked up.
Considering that global travelers have become more risk-averse during the pandemic, the Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) has been pushing a new line, promoting Macau as a “safe and quality destination” to regain consumer confidence.
Earlier, the government also vowed to pursue the “Tourism+MICE+Sports” approach this year. This is set to merge the tourism; meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions (MICE); and sports sectors to broaden the city’s tourism appeal.
Since wellness has been at the top of the agenda since the outbreak, Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng emphasized last year that sports tourism has great potential. The government is now collaborating with six gaming operators to mount 12 sports events in 2021 — one event per month.
Since the pandemic, the MGTO has stepped up promotional efforts to win over mainland travelers, including launching special offers, social media advertising, and promotional videos. Honey Tsang
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