The special administrative region of China’s Statistics and Census Service published its latest figures on Friday, March 21. Arrival figures are an important metric for Macau’s tourist-driven casino industry.
The figures showed that 3.15 million visitors arrived in Macau during the month, which was down 4.4 percent compared to February 2024. This was the first year-on-year drop in a calendar month since the Covid-19 reopening in January 2023.
The Macau authorities did note that the February 2024 tourist statistics were impacted by an extended eight-day Chinese New Year holiday in mainland China.
Unsurprisingly, considering the calendar disparity, arrivals from mainland China were down by 6.4 percent year-on-year to 2.29 million during February 2025. Within that category, Individual Visit Scheme travelers declined by 11.1 percent to 1.3 million.
There was also a 4.7 percent drop in visitors from Hong Kong, which was down to 580,000. However, arrivals from Taiwan were up 14.4 percent to 68,000.
2025 Gaming Slowdown
Earlier this month, Macau chief executive Sam Hou Fai said fiscal revenue for 2025 could fall short of projections due to a slowdown in the city’s gaming industry.
So far this year, gross gaming revenue (GGR) has fallen short of expectations. City casinos generated MOP18.25 billion ($2.28 billion) in January and MOP19.74 billion in February, foiling hopes for a Lunar New Year bump. To achieve lawmakers’ estimate of MOP240 billion for the year, gaming must generate an average monthly GGR of MOP20 billion.
