The hotel industry of Macau experienced a strong performance during the China National Day golden week. Average occupancy rate of three-to-five-star hotels from October 1 to 7 reached 87.3 per cent, a 5.6 percentage points increase compared to the same period of 2008. The average room rate of three-to-five-star hotels was 1,226 patacas, up 15.46 per cent on the golden week period of last year. The daily average number of occupied rooms was over 15,000, increased by 11.65 per cent. The figures show a change in the behavior of visitors, with more choosing to stay in hotels, while their spending sentiment is also on the rise. Over 420,000 Mainland visitors arrived in Macau during the National Day Golden Week holiday period between Oct 1 and 7, an increase of 2.12 per cent compared to the same period last year. Close collaboration among various departments and the support of tourism and related entities helped to enhance the hospitality of the city to welcome visitors. Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO), the Guangdong Provincial Tourism Administration and the Fujian Tourism Administration trialed run the Golden Week notification system on September 26 and activated the system from October 1 to October 9. During the golden week period, MGTO inspectors intensified surveillance at Macau's most visited sites. MGTO also distributed the brochure "Enjoy Macau", reminding Mainland visitors on matters to pay attention to when visiting the city. MGTO's Information Counters and the Tourism Hotline functioned as usual during the holiday period. Targeting the issue of illegal accommodation, MGTO distributed posters against illegal accommodation and reinforced the hotline service for related complaints to encourage visitors to stay at licensed accommodation. During the golden week holiday, MGTO has also strengthened publicity efforts by publishing pamphlets to raise the awareness against illegal accommodation.
