Visitors experience Macao’s diverse “tourism +”
Spanning five days (29 April – 3 May 2023), the 1st May Labor Day holiday has come to an end in the Mainland. Preliminary statistics show that Macao recorded about 493,000 visitor arrivals. The average hotel occupancy rate topped 85%. Single-day visitor arrivals exceeded 100,000 for the first three consecutive days of the holiday. On 30 April, the single-day volume of visitors reached 134,000 and the average hotel occupancy rate topped 93.2%, both reaching new heights.
Daily visitor arrivals average 99,000 over the Labor Day holiday
Since Macao’s lifting of border restrictions, Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) has been actively planning and rolling out destination promotions including initiatives targeting major festive holidays. Greater efforts are poured into a diverse online-offline marketing campaign for “tourism +”. A series of special offers are launched to tap into a wider range of visitor markets.
Preliminary statistics indicate that Macao welcomed around 493,000 visitors over the five-day Labor Day holiday. The figure included 376,000 Mainland visitors and 89,000 Hong Kong visitors. The average daily volume of visitors grew by 262.5% from last year (2022) to 99,000 approximately. Visitor flow abounded in different tourist attractions/districts in Macao Peninsula, Taipa and Coloane.
Compared with 2019, total visitor arrivals during this Labor Day holiday were restored by 62%.
Single-day visitor arrivals surpass 100,000 on first three consecutive days
Macao registered 109,000, 134,000 and 111,000 visitor arrivals on the first three days of the Labor Day holiday respectively (29 April – 1 May). On 30 April, visitor arrivals reached 134,000, the highest single-day record not just over this Labor Day holiday but also over the past three years and more since the start of the pandemic.
Highest single-day hotel occupancy rate reaches 93%
Industry figures revealed that hotel establishments in Macao registered an average occupancy rate of 85% during the Labor Day holiday, a year-on-year increase of 26.5 percentage points. The average occupancy rate hit 93.2% on 30 April, the highest record of this year.
The average room rate of Macao’s hotel establishments (including hotels, apartment hotels and economical accommodation establishments) was around 1,804.3 patacas during the Labor Day holiday, a year-over-year growth of 106.9% from that of the Labor Day holiday 2022.
All-rounded promotional campaign fosters recovery
MGTO has been rolling out promotional initiatives in accord with Macao’s festive calendar via platforms such as WeChat, Weibo, Xiaohongshu, Douyin and travel influencers. The “Experience Macao, Unlimited” promotional campaign also carries on to showcase monthly city highlights to potential visitors in the Mainland. In ongoing partnership with various online travel agencies and e-commerce platforms, a series of special travel offers are launched to draw visitors to Macao, extend their length of stay and spur tourism spending, as part of the continuous endeavor to expand visitor source markets. The Office also supported different community activities held during the Labor Day holiday to boost community tourism and spending.
The Macao Grand Prix Museum welcomed 2,918 visitors from 29 April to 3 May, an increase of 86% compared with the Labor Day holiday 2022.
Step up patrols on festive holidays
Between 29 April and 3 May, MGTO conducted six joint inspections with the interdepartmental work force including Public Security Police Force, Labour Affairs Bureau, Consumer Council and Macao Customs Service. No irregularities were discovered. MGTO also carried out 52 inspections at ports of entry, tourist attractions, hotel establishments and so forth without discovery of irregularities.
Besides more rigorous patrols, MGTO and the Consumer Council have been making a concerted effort to provide supportive services for visitors and conduct an educational propaganda to safeguard visitors’ rights and raise their related awareness. To remind visitors of things to note when joining group tours, MGTO disseminated promotional information at ports of entry and produced promotional leaflets “Safe trip in Macao”, while conveying related messages to visitors via the travel trade and travel agencies.
MGTO also joined hands with the police force to combat illegal accommodation. From 29 April to 3 May, the Office discovered an apartment allegedly operated as illegal accommodation.
MGTO’s 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 13 enquires and complaints from visitors, mainly about hotel, catering, tourist attraction, ferry service and shopping, as well as four complaints regarding alleged operation of illegal accommodation.
