Arrivals in Labor Day “Golden Week” holiday surged 30%

Macau received almost 590,000 arrivals during the Labor Day “Golden Week” holiday, a growth of 29% over the same period in 2006. Of the 590,000 visitors, over 60% were from Mainland China, recording an increase of close to 35%. Increases were also registered in both the average occupancy rate and hotel room rate. The Public Security Police Force figures show that from May 1 to May 7, visitor arrivals grew 29.04% over the same period last year to 589,936. More than 390,000, or 66% of the arrivals were from Mainland China, a growth of 34.7%. From May 1 to May 7, average occupancy rate of 3 to 5-star hotels was 83.9%, an increase of 6.27 percentage points. The average hotel room rate for 3 to 5-star hotels was MOP$893.29, a rise of 12.64% over the same period of last year. During the Labor Day “Golden Week” holiday, total room supply reached 13,258, among which, 12,695 are rooms of 2 to 5 star hotels while 563 are from guesthouses. From May 1 to May 8, Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO) and the Provincial Tourism Administrations of Guangdong and Fujian have jointly operated the “Labor Day Holiday Tourism Notifying System” to facilitate operations to welcome visitors. The reopening of the checkpoint at Cotai (Lotus Bridge) in time for the Labor Day “Golden Week” holiday helped alleviate congestion at the Border Gate checkpoint as many tour groups, under the coordination of MGTO and the support of the travel trade, switched to use the Cotai checkpoint. The two public bus companies also increased capacity for the Lotus Bridge route to reduce queuing time at the checkpoint and ensure smooth service for visitors. During the Labor Day holiday, staff of MGTO has suspended leave to reinforce supervision at various tourist attractions and entry checkpoints, while MGTO’s information counters and tourist hotline operated as usual. Close collaboration among various departments and the support of tourism and related entities helped to enhance the hospitality of the city to welcome visitors.