Macau Welcomes 1.1 Million Tourists During Golden Week
Dater: 2024-10-08 Auteur: Robert Beloved Catégories: CASINO
Macau authorities reported that about 1.1 million people arrived in the special administrative region during the National Day holiday, known as Golden Week. The figure exceeded the initial forecast of 130,000 daily arrivals.
Significant increase in tourist arrivals
From September 29 to October 6, the average daily tourist arrivals were about 138,000, in line with the Macau Tourism Authority’s forecast. The peak visitor numbers were recorded on October 4, when more than 174,000 people arrived in the region.
The October 4 figure was the highest for the entire National Day holiday, highlighting Macau’s recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.
During the period, 2.21 million inbound and outbound visits were recorded, with the majority of these going through border crossings, Hengqin Port and the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge. Although the number of visitors from Hong Kong fell, the decline was offset by an increase in tourism from other regions.
The high visitor numbers have given a major boost to the local economy.
Casinos could be more attractive to tourists
Golden Week, which also celebrates the anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, is one of the busiest seasons for tourism. This period is traditionally used to assess the health of Macau's tourism industry.
The hotel sector reported a high occupancy rate, reaching 95%. Average room prices have also returned to 2019 levels, highlighting the region's successful recovery.
SMEs have also benefited from the increase in tourism, returning to pre-pandemic levels. Andy Wu, head of the Federal Association of Small and Medium Enterprises in Macau, said small businesses need to learn how to better serve the younger generation to grow.
Macau CEO candidate Sam Hou Fai suggested that casinos should expand their entertainment programs to attract more tourists. He said operators should learn from Las Vegas by inviting celebrities to host regular shows.
Macau, however, continues to crack down on illegal operators and recently announced that it would block thousands of illegal websites.
