Philippines leads Macau’s international visitor market recovery

Jenny Ortiz April 24, 2024

SiGMA news

Philippines leads Macau’s international visitor market recovery

Macau’s international visitor arrivals have shown a remarkable recovery, reaching 68.2 percent of 2019 levels in the first quarter of 2024. 584,026 foreign tourists visited Macau during this period, signifying a robust resurgence in tourism activity.

Philippines emerges as top source market

Data from Macau’s Statistics and Census Service shows that the Philippines emerged as the leading source market for the Special Administrative Region’s (SAR) international visitors, with over 114,000 tourists arriving in the first quarter. This represents a substantial 23.7 percent increase compared to the same period in 2019. The proximity of Macau to Hong Kong may have contributed to this surge, given the significant number of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Hong Kong.

Recovery in other Southeast Asian markets

Visitor numbers from Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand have also rebounded significantly, reaching 70.8 percent, 89.2 percent, and 89.2 percent of their respective 2019 levels. This resurgence underscores the gradual recovery of tourism from Southeast Asian countries to Macau.

Challenges in Northeast Asian markets

However, visitor numbers from Northeast Asian markets, particularly South Korea and Japan, have lagged. Macau received only around half of its pre-COVID levels of Korean visitors and around 40 percent of Japanese visitors in the first quarter of 2024.

Moderate recovery in long-haul markets

In long-haul markets, visitors from the U.S. have shown a moderate rebound, reaching 66.5 percent of the 2019 first-quarter level. While not as robust as some regional markets, this recovery indicates a gradual resurgence in long-haul tourism to Macau.

Overall visitor arrivals surge

Overall, Macau‘s visitor arrivals surged by an impressive 79.4 percent year-on-year in the first quarter of 2024, totalling 8,875,757. This recovery represents 85.7 percent of the figure recorded in the same quarter of 2019, highlighting a significant step towards pre-pandemic tourism levels.

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