Macau Golden Week overseas tourists up 10%

February 6, 2025

Macau Golden Week overseas tourists up 10%

The Macau Government Tourism Office (MGTO) has announced that the number of international visitor arrivals were up 10.2 percent during the Golden Week. MGTO noted that Macau welcomed 58,000 international visitors during the eight-day Spring Festival Golden Week.

Macau registered 1.31 million visitor arrivals between 28 January and 4 February. This marks a drop of 3.5 per cent from last year’s Chinese New Year holiday period, averaging nearly 164,000 visitors per day.

Tourists were majorly drawn in the state from mainland China, with around 1 million coming in from the region during the holiday period. Another 231,000 visitors arrived from Hong Kong.

Macau witnessed a record high tourist arrival on the third day of the Chinese New Year, i.e. 31 January. Macau welcomed 219,119 tourists that day, setting a new post-pandemic peak.

During the festive period, local hotels achieved an average occupancy rate of 95 percent, figures from industry operators indicate. This is consistent with last year’s performance.

Hotel occupancy rates better-than-expected

Macau’s hotel occupancy rate has been better than the projected 90 percent that it was supposed to hit during this year’s Chinese New Year period.

The city was expected to witness an influx of visitors from 28 January to 4 February, with Wong Suk Yan, the president of the Macau Hotel Association stating that bookings were going strong ahead of the CNY last week.

Bookings are filling up across Macau as January drew to an end, with particular interest being directed toward Cotai’s integrated resorts. These venues were projected to achieve around 90 percent occupancy rates. In contrast, more budget-friendly hotels were to see occupancy rates of 60-70 percent.

Wong said hotel occupancy rates have returned to pre-pandemic levels, similar to those seen during the same period in 2019. The hotelier anticipated peak for hotel check-ins expected to occur on 31 January, the third day of the New Year. However, it was recorded on the fourth day of Chinese New Year, 1 February 2025, when the hotel occupancy rate reached 97.8 percent.

To accommodate the surge in travel demand during the festive period, Macau International Airport (MIA) added 58 flights. The additional 58 flights were introduced to connect Macau to key destinations, including mainland China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Japan, Korea, and Malaysia.

The holiday saw a substantial rise in cross-border movements and the airport braced for the holiday rush. To oblige this increased demand, Macau International Airport Company Limited (CAM) partnered with airlines to optimise flight schedules and ensure a smooth and efficient travel experience.