According to the preliminary statistics (the figures of visitor arrivals include non-local employees and students) provided by Public Security Police Force, the overall visitor arrivals to Macao during the seven-day National Holidays Golden Week (1st – 7th October) exceeded 1.15 million with a year-on-year raise of 8%. Among various markets, visitor arrivals from Mainland China surged by 6.9%. Nice performance of Greater China and various markets The number of visitors from the Greater China market hit 1.1 million and constituted 95.5% of the total visitor arrivals to Macao during the National Holidays, an increase of 7.6% compared with the corresponding period of last year. Among them, there were close to 970,000 visitors from Mainland China, which constituted 84% of the total visitor arrivals and registered 6.9% year-on-year increase. Visitor arrivals from Taiwan and Hong Kong rose by 15.7% and 12.5% respectively, both marking a double-digit growth. On the other hand, other markets also saw better performance than last year, with their visitor numbers climbing up by 16.5% to over 51,000. Hotel occupancy rate went well Up to date, the total number of rooms provided by all hotels and guest houses in Macao reached 37,627. According to figures provided by the local trade, the average occupancy rate of hotel establishments (guest houses and hotels) in Macao was 92.3% during the Golden Week, a year-on-year increase of 5.1 percentage points. Except for guest houses, all categories of hotels registered a rise in their average occupancy rate. The average occupancy rate of 5-Star hotels was 94.4%, up 5.5 percentage points; whereas the average occupancy rates of 4-Star and 3-Star hotels were 88.3% and 93.1%, which climbed up by 3.9 percentage points and 5.7 percentage points. The average occupancy rate of 2-Star hotels was 78.2%, up 5.7 percentage points, whereas the average occupancy rate of guest houses slightly declined by 1.9 percentage points to 75%. Hotel establishment Average occupancy rate Difference 5-Star hotels 94.4% +5.5 4-Star hotels 88.3% +3.9 3-Star hotels 93.1% +5.7 2-Star hotels 78.2% +5.7 Guest houses 75.0% -1.9 Slight decline in average hotel room rate The average room rate of hotel establishments (hotels and guest houses) in Macao was about 1,700 patacas during the Golden Week, a year-on-year decline of 1.2%. The average room rates of 5-Star and 4-Star hotels were around 2,000 patacas and 1,230 patacas respectively, up 2.1% and 2.8% respectively. The average room rates of 3-Star and 2-Star hotels were around 1,220 patacas and 750 patacas respectively, a drop of 9.9% and 11.4%. The average room rate of local guest houses was around 615 patacas, down 1.8%. Hotel establishment Room rate Percentage change 5-Star hotels 2,033.3 patacas +2.1% 4-Star hotels 1,234.1 patacas +2.8% 3-Star hotels 1,221.3 patacas -9.9% 2-Star hotels 748.2 patacas -11.4% Guest houses 615.5 patacas -1.8% Dedication of great efforts Before and during the past Golden Week, Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) actively prepared for the peak period and carried out an array of tasks concerned, including operation of tourism notification system, more scrupulous inspections, sending out reminders to members of the travel trade, food guide publication and distribution as well as organizing a range of events and performances, etc. With the above measures, MGTO strived to cater for the needs of residents and visitors as well as to optimize the tourism environment and service quality in Macao. MGTO regularly releases the room rates of different room categories reported by hotels and guest houses in Macao on its website. Via its WeChat ID, the Office also advised visitors to make room reservation and prepare their itinerary ahead of their trip to Macao, while by mobile text messages, visitors were advised to visit popular sightseeing districts during off-peak hours. These measures were adopted to keep traffic situations and neighborhoods near tourist sites least affected in order to maintain a positive destination image. Personnel were arranged at ten different tourist locations to provide tourism information and guidance for visitors and assist in crowd management. MGTO carried out more scrupulous inspections at various tourist attractions, ports and districts in Macao while joining hands with police authorities to combat illegal accommodation, with MGTO’s inspectors standing by round the clock. The Office also increased the manpower at Tourist Information counters, whereas MGTO’s Tourism Hotline (853) 2833 3000 maintained its 24-hour operator service as usual. During the Golden Week, MGTO carried out a total of 64 inspections at various ports and tourist spots and carried out 8 joint actions. The Office also inspected 27 premises and sealed 5 premises allegedly operated as illegal accommodation. MGTO and Tourism Administration of Guangdong Province effectively operated their “Tourism Notification System for National Holidays Golden Week”. During the period, the Office strived to carry out reception work well in collaboration with relevant departments and units in charge of tourism reception.
