Visitor arrivals reach highest August daily tally

Visitor arrivals reached 18,620 on August 27, the highest daily number since the lifting of quarantine restriction in early August, according to the Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO).

From August 20 to 26, the MGTO reported 103,162 visitors, with a daily average of 14,737, an increase by 18% compared to the daily average for the period August 13 to 19 (12,485 visitors).

Visitor arrivals in July drastically dropped by 98.8% year-on-year to 9,759 due to the city’s partial lockdown in response to its largest outbreak since mid-June.

The figure also represented a plunge of 97.4% month-on-month as the outbreak, the origins of which are unknown, brought the entire tourism sector to a halt.

As people entering Zhuhai from Macau were subject to centralized medical observation in July, some visitors extended their stays in the city, causing the average length of stay of overnight visitors to surge by 22.0 days to 25.4 days. 

Meanwhile, the MGTO held an “Experience Macao, Unlimited” Caravan Roadshow Series across the Greater Bay Area in Zhuhai, from August 28 to 29. 

An MGTO representative said the roadshow will introduce people to “Macau’s unique glamour in ‘tourism +’, with travel tips and special offers, encouraging them to choose Macau as a travel destination.”

The activities include outdoor interactive zones, a graffiti wall, an interactive exhibition gallery, a game booth, a parent-and-child workshop, a 3D mapping show and other highlights. The six gaming operators have also set up promotional booths at the roadshow.

Previously, the Macao Tourist Guides Union (MTGU) president Lei Man Hou said that many tourist guides have changed careers to part-time food delivery or other essential jobs, noting that the lack of employees in the sector is “serious.”

According to Lei, there were around 1,000 tourist guides before the pandemic, of which over 70% were aged 40 years or above. Staff reporter