Local attractions and districts bustle with life
Over the eight-day long holiday of the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day in succession this year, Macao registered a cumulative volume of 932,365 visitor arrivals. The single-day record of visitors peaked at 158,726 on 30 September, an all-time high in 2023 and ever since the onset of COVID-19. Average daily visitor arrivals surged 3.7-fold year-on-year and rebounded to nearly 84% of the corresponding figure in 2019. The average hotel occupancy rate topped 87.9%.
Destination marketing in collaboration with industry operators
The Big Data Report on Outbound Tourism in the First Half of 2023 has deemed Macao the top outbound destination for Mainland residents. The positive trend has created momentum for Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) to forge ahead with various promotions and special offers. The Office staged the spectacular fireworks contest amid a kaleidoscope of wonderful events and cultural tourism gems, in addition to collaboration with industry operators. Different parties joined hands to welcome visitors and optimize their trip experience during the long holiday. Preliminary figures show that visitor arrivals totaled 932,365 in Macao during the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holiday (29 September – 6 October 2023). The figure encompassed 709,079 Mainland visitors, 171,672 Hong Kong visitors, 10,683 Taiwan region visitors and 40,931 international visitors.
Tourism is trending towards bright prospects
Daily visitor arrivals averaged 116,546 during this National Day holiday, a rise of 366.4% compared with last National Day holiday (in 2022) and an increase of 18.7 % from the Labor Day holiday this year. Average daily visitor arrivals rebounded to nearly 84% of the corresponding figure in 2019, which bespoke the positive trend of Macao’s tourism industry towards recovery.
Single-day hotel occupancy rate reaches 94.3%
Industry figures revealed that hotel establishments in Macao saw an average occupancy rate of 87.9% during the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holiday, a year-on-year increase of 23.7 percentage points compared with last National Day holiday. The average occupancy rate spiked to 94.3% on 1 October, 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 1,804.1 patacas during the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holiday, a year-over-year growth of 61.7% from last National Day holiday and an increase of 0.9% from the Labor Day holiday this year.
Events in different districts draw visitors and boost consumption
During the successive holidays of the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day, a variety of events and activities were rolled out in the city to enrich travelers’ experiences. Tourist attractions, streets and districts in Macao Peninsula, Taipa and Coloane were bustling with life, which injected an impetus to the tourism economy. Organized by MGTO, the 31st Macao International Fireworks Display Contest presented dazzling fireworks on 1 October in celebration of the National Day with residents and visitors. MGTO also supported different themed community activities during the long holiday to boost community tourism and spending. In addition, the Rua da Felicidade pedestrian area has been put into testing operation since 29 September to radiate the synergy of cultural tourism and engage visitors in a diversity of innovative “tourism +” elements.
Vigorous promotions and special offers encourage longer visitors’ stay
MGTO has been pressing ahead with its vigorous online-offline promotional campaign while highlighting the fascination of community travel, the fireworks display on the National Day and other special events during the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holiday through the influence of KOLs and on social media. The “Experience Macao, Unlimited” Campaign for monthly city highlights has also been going on. Via online travel platforms, the Office continues to offer hotel coupons to visitors, in addition to stackable special offers and co-brand gift boxes launched specially for the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holiday, as part of the endeavor to attract visitors for a longer vacation and boost tourists’ spending in Macao.
MGTO carries on its partnership with airlines in launching special offers on air tickets in different visitor markets, to develop overseas markets and diversify the source of visitors. The Office also keeps promoting the cross-border bus service between the SkyPier Terminal at Hong Kong International Airport and the Macao Port at the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge as a favorable transport measure.
Macao Courtesy Campaign brands Macao as a hospitable city
MGTO is conducting the Macao Courtesy Campaign this year to cultivate the spirit of hospitality towards visitors among Macao residents. For travelers to experience great hospitality in Macao during festive holidays, MGTO has maintained close communication with local tourism industry operators and hotel industry associations to support their pursuit of outstanding service quality and efficiency. The Office also stepped up patrols during the long holiday to ensure quality tourism services and brand Macao as a hospitable city.
Step up patrols on festive holidays for industry regulation
Between 29 September and 6 October, MGTO conducted six collaborative inspections with the interdepartmental work force joined by the Public Security Police Force, Consumer Council, Macao Customs Service and Economic and Technological Development Bureau. No irregularities were discovered. MGTO also carried out 123 inspections at ports of entry, tourist attractions, hotel establishments and so forth without discovery of irregularities.
MGTO joined hands with the police force to combat illegal accommodation. During the aforementioned period, the Office discovered one apartment allegedly operated as illegal accommodation.
Ensure visitors’ consumer rights
Besides more rigorous patrols, MGTO and the Consumer Council have been conducting a series of initiatives together to regulate the tourism and retail industries and safeguard visitor rights. Before the festive holidays, MGTO also attended the interdepartmental work meeting to exchange reports about the protection of consumer rights with other governmental entities concerned, including the Consumer Council, Economic and Technological Development Bureau, Municipal Affairs Bureau, Transport Bureau, Macao Post and Telecommunications Bureau, Pharmaceutical Administration Bureau, Public Security Police Force, Macao Judiciary Police and Macao Customs Service, for active coordination and interdepartmental collaboration.
During festive holidays, MGTO’s Tourist Information counters tended to visitors’ enquiries, while the tourism hotline (853) 2833 3000 maintained its 24-hour operator service as usual. Between 29 September and 6 October, MGTO received 40 enquires and complaints from visitors, mainly about transport, consumer service, catering and hotel, as well as seven complaints regarding alleged operation of illegal accommodation.
