Macau welcomes nearly 900k visitors during first five days of CNY

Preliminary data from Macau’s Public Security Police indicates that over the first five days of the Chinese New Year (CNY) vacation, the city received around 898,665 visitors, with an average daily arrival of almost 179,733. Only on Wednesday did authorities acknowledge 195,567 arrivals in Macau.

Macau’s gaming industry typically experiences its peak time from February 10 to February 17, during the Chinese New Year vacation, which attracts thousands of mainland Chinese tourists.

The bulk of tourists entered Macau via border checks that catered primarily to those traveling to or from mainland China, although the police were unable to provide specific information on their nationalities. There was a rise in activity at other entry sites, such as the airport, the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge, and the city’s naval facilities.

With an average of 131,156 visits per day, mainland Chinese visitors accounted for 74.6 percent of all arrivals over the first four days of the holiday season, according to preliminary estimates from the Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO). This represents a significant rise over the same period last year.

Furthermore, arrivals from Hong Kong represented 19.3% of all arrivals during that period, averaging 33,981 a day—a notable increase over the same period last year.

With 217,541, Monday was the day with the highest number of visitor arrivals over the holiday season. Not only was this the largest number of arrivals per day since the Covid-19 epidemic-related travel restrictions were lifted in January 2023, but it was also the second-highest daily total ever recorded.

In addition, a GGRAsia survey revealed that hotels in Macau’s casino resorts had high occupancy rates for the bulk of the holiday nights. With daily gross gaming income over MOP650 million (US$80.7 million), JP Morgan Securities (Asia Pacific) Ltd forecasted a robust gaming performance for the eight-day break, marking a significant increase over the 2019 Chinese New Year holiday.

Original story by: GGRAsia