Macau Visitor Arrivals Exceed Pre-COVID Levels For First time in August 2024

Macau experienced a significant surge in tourism, welcoming 3,651,731 visitors in August 2024, marking a 13.3% year-on-year increase and surpassing pre-pandemic levels for the first time since reopening.

According to the Statistics and Census Service, this figure represents a 0.8% rise from August 2019 and a 20.9% increase from July 2024.

The majority of visitors came from mainland China, totaling 2,752,322, which is an 18.5% increase year-on-year. This includes 1,466,190 visitors traveling under the Individual Visit Scheme. However, arrivals from Hong Kong saw a decline of 6.8%, totaling 663,449, while visitors from Taiwan increased by 26.7% to 73,629.

International arrivals also rose, reaching 162,331, a 25.5% increase from the previous year and recovering to 75.3% of the levels seen in August 2019. Notably, South Korea led international arrivals with 36,923 visitors, up 61.4%, followed by the Philippines at 35,180, an increase of 31.7%.

In terms of travel methods, arrivals by air increased by 24.7% to 282,733, while land arrivals rose by 16% to 2,986,134. Conversely, sea arrivals decreased by 9.2% to 382,864.

The month also saw a substantial increase in same-day visitors, which rose by 23.4% year-on-year to 2,041,362. Overnight visitor numbers reached 1,610,369, reflecting a 2.7% increase. The average length of stay for all visitors decreased slightly to 1.1 days, while overnight visitors stayed an average of 2.3 days.

Overall, for the first eight months of 2024, Macau welcomed 23,392,903 visitors, a 32.7% increase year-on-year, representing 85.3% of arrivals during the same period in 2019. The steady growth highlights Macau’s ongoing recovery as a key destination in the region.

Read related article: Macau registered 6.7 million visitors during the 2024 summer, 93.4% of pre-pandemic levels