Chinese New Year celebrations extend a joyful welcome to visitors
Welcoming the arrival of the first Spring Festival Golden Week since the pandemic border measures loosened, Macao radiated the fascinating glamour of “tourism +” thoroughly. Visitor figures have surpassed the expectation. Spanning seven days (21 – 27 January 2023) in the Mainland, the Spring Festival Golden Week has come to an end. According to the preliminary statistics, Macao recorded 451,000 visitor arrivals in total during the period, remarkably up by 297.0 % over the Spring Festival Golden Week of last year. The average occupancy rate of local hotel establishments reached 85.7%.
Visitor arrivals rose remarkably in Macao during Spring Festival
Average daily arrivals of Hong Kong visitors increased 26-fold
Since the pandemic border measures loosened in Macao, Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) has kicked off its advance promotional scheme and various special travel offers to attract a wider spectrum of visitors. During Chinese New Year, governmental entities, industry operators and community organizations presented a kaleidoscope of festivities, which, along with the all-rounded marketing campaign, attracted a great number of visitors from the Mainland and Hong Kong to Macao. The city was bustling with life and commerce during the Spring Festival, spurring tourism and economic revival.
Visitor arrivals in Macao reached 451,000 this Spring Festival Golden Week. The figure encompasses 265,000 and 165,000 visitors from the Mainland and Hong Kong respectively. Average daily visitor arrivals throughout the Spring Festival Golden Week reached 64,000, a year-on-year increase of 297.0%. The daily average of Hong Kong visitors marked the enormous increase of 2,601.8%. Macao welcomed over 90,000 visitors on the 3rd day of Lunar New Year (24 January), the highest single-day record since the first outbreak of the pandemic.
Average hotel occupancy rate reached 85.7% during Golden Week and the highest of 92.1% on the 3rd day of Lunar New Year
Industry figures revealed that hotel establishments in Macao registered an average occupancy rate of 85.7% during the Golden Week, a year-on-year increase of 22.4 percentage points. The average occupancy rate of hotel establishments reached 92.1 % on the 3rd day of Lunar New Year (24 January), the highest among other days.
During the Spring Festival Golden Week, the average room rate of Macao’s hotel establishments (including hotels, apartment hotels and economical accommodation establishments) was around 1,575 patacas, up by almost 50% year-on-year.
The satisfactory tourism figures over the Spring Festival Golden Week mirrors visitors’ high intentions to travel to Macao during Chinese New Year and opt for a first-hand experience of the city’s glamour in “tourism +”. The bustling scene reflects a positive outlook for the tourism and related industries.
Stepping up patrols during Chinese New Year
Between 21 and 27 January, MGTO conducted a total of 73 inspections at major ports of entry, tourist attractions, hotels and other establishments concerned. During inspections, no sign of irregularities was discovered. MGTO inspectors were standing by round-the-clock. Tourist Information counters tended to visitors’ enquiries, while MGTO's tourism hotline (853) 2833 3000 maintained its 24-hour operator service as usual. During the aforementioned period, MGTO received 14 complaints from visitors, mainly about taxi service, land transportation arrangements as well as ferry schedules, services and pricing, among other issues.
Finale fireworks display on Lantern Festival
Social media check-in at float exhibition
This Chinese New Year, MGTO has successively unfolded a variety of festive celebrations including the Golden Dragon Parade, float parade and fireworks display, while special highlights are offered at the Macao Grand Prix Museum. The third finale show of the Chinese New Year Fireworks Display will dazzle the city’s skyline on Lantern Festival (5 February). The float exhibition will go on at Tap Seac Square until 12 February. Residents and visitors can seize the opportunity to take pictures and check in on social media. In addition, the newly-launched “Strolling Through Almeida Ribeiro - Pilot Project for a Pedestrian Area” will take place again from 4 – 5 February.
Dedication to destination marketing upon the upward trend
Capitalizing on the upward tourism trend and prosperity in different sectors during Chinese New Year, MGTO is dedicated to progressing forward with the online-offline marketing campaign, such as releasing posts and live streams on social media platforms, inviting travel influencers to promote and conduct live streams on their own channels, as well as placing advertisements on TV channels. Physical promotional activities have been planned for this year. MGTO also carries on the “Experience Macao, Unlimited” promotional campaign to cast the limelight on the monthly wonderful city highlights, as part of the all-rounded marketing endeavors to manifest Macao’s all-year-round diversity of “tourism +” elements. Unreserved efforts are made to draw a wider range of visitors to Macao not just for travel and spending, but also for longer stays and repeated visits, to invigorate the economy.
