Recent highs in short-term visitor volumes suggest Macau’s recovery is gaining steam.
Figures released by the Macao Government Tourism Office show arrivals during the week of March 20-26 totaling 189,843, good for an average of 27,120 visitors per day.
It was more than double the total for the holiday week accompanying February’s Chinese New Year and more than 77 percent better than the average for February as a whole. It was also the best week since the Covid pandemic hit early last year.
February visitor arrivals totaled 427,122, down 23 percent from January but up by 173 percent over February 2020. As usual, China contributed the greatest share, 380,649, with most of those, 66 percent, coming from the neighboring mainland province of Guangdong, which has been the rule historically.
“The figures suggest a steady upward trend,” said the agency, which attributed March increases to several factors, including the containment of the pandemic in mainland China and Macau, the end of mandatory quarantines on the Macau side of the border and China’s restoration of visas for individual tourist travel.
To take advantage the MGTO said it is rolling out “an array of online and offline promotions tailored for the mainland market and continuously spotlighting Macau as a healthy, safe and quality destination.”
The MGTO said also it is extending the promotions to attract mainland tourists beyond the Greater Bay Area with the aim of increasing average length of stay.
“Our strategy will encourage visitation from cities with a transportation network,” the agency said, such as the high-speed rail network that blankets the eastern half of the country.
The agency said also it will be targeting cities with higher air connectivity with Macau.
