Visitor figures during CNY holidays exceed forecast

The number of tourists entering Macau during the Spring Festival Golden Week has exceeded the Macao Government Tourism Office’s (MGTO) expectations and forecasts, reaching a daily average of 68,903.4 visitors in the first five days.

Initially, the MGTO officials had forecast a daily average of around 48,000 visitors per day with a potential peak of around 60,000 visitors during the first three days of the lunar new year.

Although the results show a significant increase compared with previous years in which, under the pandemic-related border restrictions, many were unwilling or unable to visit Macau, the figure represents just 41% of arrivals recorded pre-pandemic when, in the same given period, 840,039 visitors entered Macau at a daily average of 168,007.8 visitors/day.

The third day of the lunar new year (Jan. 24) saw the most visitors when 90,416 people entered Macau, one-third more than local tourism authorities had initially predicted.

The mainland is the biggest visitor source market, representing 57.6% of all entries, followed by Hong Kong, accounting for 37%. Visitors from other places, including Taiwan and other countries, accounted for only 5.4%.

Provisional figures from yesterday at 5 p.m. (the fifth day of the lunar new year) show a slightly decreasing trend compared to the peak on the third day (Jan. 24) but are still above those registered in the first two days and well above the estimate.

The fact that the Spring Festival Golden Week started on a Sunday facilitated a visitor influx even in the days before the official holiday season, with a similar outcome expected at end of the week. This is a factor particularly relevant for those traveling to Macau from neighboring cities for a one-day trip.

In this sense, the visitor figure will likely remain high, at least until Sunday (Jan. 29).