Visitor arrivals in Macao surged by 6.5% to exceed 960,000 during Spring Festival Golden Week

Lasting from 15 to 21 February, the Spring Festival Golden Week of Mainland China has come to an end. According to preliminary statistics, Macao welcomed over 960,000 visitor arrivals (non-resident employees and students excluded) during the Golden Week, up by 6.5% over the corresponding period of last year.

During the Spring Festival, visitors from the Greater China markets went up by 6.9% year-on-year to a record of 910,000, which accounted for 94.6% of total visitor arrivals. Among them, 710,000 visitors came from Mainland China, accounting for 74.3% of total visitor arrivals, a 12.3% increase. The number of Hong Kong visitors stood at 170,000 with a decrease of 9.4%, whereas Taiwan visitor arrivals went down by 6.7% to nearly 19,000. On the other hand, international visitor arrivals dropped slightly by 0.3% year-on-year to a total of 52,000.

r – updated figure

The surge in visitor arrivals during this Golden Week was higher than expected, which can be attributed mainly to different favorable factors such as the diversity of spectacular events and festivals, newly-inaugurated tourism and entertainment complex, festive vibe as well as the pleasant weather.

To date, the room supply of all hotels and guest houses in operation in Macao has reached a total of 39,079. Industry figures revealed that local hotel establishments (hotels and guest houses) registered an average occupancy rate of 94.5% during the Golden Week, which stood the same as last year.

According to figures provided by industry operators, five-star hotels recorded an average occupancy rate of 95.9%, up by 0.4 percentage points; four-star hotels registered 94.4%, up by 1.6 percentage points; three-star hotels 92.1%, down by 4.1 percentage points; two-star hotels 84.9%, up by 1.9 percentage points; guest houses 77.6%, up by 1.7 percentage points.

The average room rate of hotel establishments (hotels and guest houses) in Macao climbed up by 5.9% to around 1,951.8 patacas during the Golden Week. For five-star hotels, the average room rate increased by 5.1% to around 2,195.2 patacas; for four-star hotels, up by 7.6% to around 1,636.8 patacas; for three-star hotels, up by 5.4% to around 1,546.1 patacas; for two-star hotels, up by 2.7% to around 1,192.4 patacas; for guest houses, up by 13.7% to around 879.7 patacas.

Before and during the Spring Festival, Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) actively prepared for the peak period by adopting different measures, including: operation of tourism notification system, more scrupulous inspections, reminders sent to industry operators about various concerns, food guide publication and distribution as well as an array of celebrations rolled out during Chinese New Year, etc. The above measures were taken to cater to the needs of residents and visitors, as well as to optimize the tourism environment and service quality.

Room rates under different room categories reported by local hotels and guest houses are regularly posted on MGTO’s website for visitors to have the latest information on hand. In addition, MGTO sent letters advising associations of travel agencies to communicate with local travel agencies and coordinate their itinerary arrangements for tour groups to visit major attractions. Via mobile text message, the Office also advised visitors to visit popular attractions during off-peak hours. These measures were adopted to divert visitors from crowded areas and lessen the impact on traffic and neighborhoods near tourist sites. Staff was allocated at ten tourist points to provide tourism information and guidance for visitors and assist in diverting visitors.

MGTO and Tourism Administration of Guangdong Province smoothly operated their “Tourism Notification System for Spring Festival Golden Week” from 16 to 22 February. The Office also collaborated with relevant departments and tourism reception entities to facilitate hospitality work for visitors during the Spring Festival Golden Week.

During the Golden Week, MGTO conducted 73 inspections at various ports of entry and tourist attractions in Macao, and sealed one apartment allegedly operated as illegal accommodation.

MGTO’s Tourist Information counters and tourism hotline service both operated as usual during the holidays. MGTO’s tourism hotline 2833 3000 maintained its 24-hour operator service to attend to visitor enquiries.

From the beginning of Chinese New Year to the present date, MGTO received a total of 32 visitor complaints and requests for assistance regarding taxi charge, hotel facility/service, dining charge, ferry ticketing, tourism enquiry and so on. MGTO has followed up with the cases or transferred them to relevant departments for settlement.