Macau Draws 1.17M Overseas Visitors in First Half 2024

Macau’s Tourism Grows: Over 1.17 Million Overseas Visitors in the 2024 First Half

An official from Macau’s tourism authority reported that the city welcomed 1.17 million overseas visitors in the first half of this year. Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) deputy director Ricky Hoi Io Meng disclosed this data in remarks to local broadcaster TDM over the weekend, noting that Macau is on track to surpass 2 million inbound overseas visitors by year-end. In 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic, Macau received nearly 3.07 million overseas visitors.

Macau’s authorities are focused on encouraging its casino operators to attract a higher percentage of customers from markets outside China. As part of the tender process for new 10-year gaming concessions, bidders were required to propose plans and commit investments, including strategies to increase overseas customer traffic.

Recently, MGTO, in collaboration with casino operators, conducted roadshows in several overseas markets, including Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore. Under Macau’s updated gaming regulations tied to the new 10-year concessions starting last year, the city’s chief executive has the authority to reduce casino operators’ tax burden on gross gaming revenue (GGR) from players originating from foreign countries by up to 5 percentage points, citing public interest.

Publicly available information indicates that no casino operator has yet received a tax reduction on GGR generated by overseas players.

Original Story by: GGRAsia