MGTO expects surge in tourists for October holiday

Macau’s tourism authority, the Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO), anticipates that the city will receive an average of “80,000 to 90,000” daily visitors during the upcoming October Golden Week. This holiday period, designated by China’s State Council, spans from September 29 to October 6, encompassing the Mid-Autumn Festival on September 29 and China’s National Day on October 1.

Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, the director of MGTO, made this projection while speaking to local media, noting that Macau had already experienced a daily average of “more than 100,000” visitor arrivals in August, with hotel occupancy rates consistently exceeding 90%.

As mainland China’s summer holiday season concluded and other tourist feeder markets tapered off, daily visitor averages had decreased to around “60,000 to 70,000” in September, according to Senna Fernandes.

She acknowledged that surpassing the August figures during the upcoming Golden Week would be “quite challenging.” Senna Fernandes expressed hope for a daily average of “80,000 to 90,000” visitor arrivals during this period.

July saw Macau record nearly 2.76 million visitor arrivals, equating to a daily average of slightly over 89,000, although this figure was still 21.8% lower than the July 2019 record of 113,878 daily arrivals.

While awaiting August’s visitor arrival data, Senna Fernandes revealed that her office plans to use incentives and subsidies to attract tourists from international markets, signaling a shift away from existing discount schemes primarily benefiting mainland Chinese visitors. Despite being the primary feeder market for Macau’s gaming and tourism sectors, mainland China is considered relatively stable, prompting efforts to focus on overseas markets.

Macau has articulated a public policy goal of increasing the proportion of tourists, including gambling tourists, from overseas markets. One approach being considered is offering discounts to overseas consumers for flights to Macau’s regionally-targeted airport.

Original story by: GGRAsia