Visitor arrivals were muted over the first four days of October, to the disappointment of casinos, retailers and restauranteurs who had been hopeful for a surge over the national holiday.
The city welcomed just over 77,000 visitors in the first four days of the month, 87.4% fewer than in the equivalent period a year earlier, according to preliminary data provided by the Public Security Police Force, which oversees immigration matters in Macau. The data showed that Friday, October 2 was the busiest day, recording some 22,116 tourism arrivals.
Macau recorded between 10,000 and 15,000 daily visitor arrivals in September, even though tourism endorsements for Macau were limited to Guangdong Province.
The low volume of visitors bodes ill for Macau’s economy, which has endured many months of economic hardship despite the fact that Macau has not seen a locally-transmitted case of Covid-19 in nearly six months.
The tourism economy across the border has fared much better, in part due to national directives aimed at encouraging domestic travel.
China’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism reported some 425 million Chinese domestic visitors over the first four days of Golden Week, down nearly a quarter from 542 million last year. The projections indicate that the number of travelers will swell to 600 million before the holiday period is out.
Tourism spending was down 31% in year-on-year terms, while the average spending per tourist dropped 12%. That is even as local governments offer discounts and subsidies to tourists, including free or heavily discounted tickets to attractions.
The numbers highlight just how fast the world’s second-largest economy is rebounding from Covid-19. Most of the rest of the world – including Macau – is still reeling from the impact of shutdowns, with parts of Europe now going back into lockdown to tackle local resurgences.
Analysts suggest that the requirement to show a negative Covid-19 test result before entering Macau is putting off would-be travelers. Currently, the test results are valid for just seven days, but the Macau SAR government is considering whether to extend this to 14 days.
Another inconvenience for mainland residents is the requirement to manually apply for tourism endorsements, a process which could formerly be conducted at self-service kiosks. The kiosks previously issued travel visas immediately, whereas the visas now take about seven days to process.
Golden Week begins every year on October 1 with National Day, which celebrates the founding of the People’s Republic of China. This year, the week-long holiday coincides with the lunar-calendar based Mid-Autumn Festival.
Macau welcomed around 985,000 visitors during last year’s Golden Week. October of that year marked the 2019 peak for gross gaming revenue with some 26.4 billion patacas wagered in Macau’s casinos.
Data released on Thursday showed gross gaming revenue increased in September. Revenue dropped 90% in year-on-year terms to 2.2 billion patacas, but this was in fact the most moderate contraction since March and up 70% compared to a month earlier.
The available data on visitor arrivals and gross gaming revenue confirms the predictions made by senior government officials last month that the economic recovery in Macau will be gradual.
Casinos to host Covid test sites
Macau’s six casino concessionaires will be allowed to set up Covid-19 testing facilities inside their properties, according to the Macau Health Bureau. The information was disclosed to public broadcaster TDM over the weekend. The testing inside casino properties will be reportedly managed by China Certification and Inspection Group Macau Co. Ltd., the current service provider for the Macau government. Since July, gambling patrons have been required to display a recognized negative Covid-19 test result before being allowed to step foot onto the casino floor.
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