Length of Macau visitor stays rose in 2020

While arrivals decreased, Macau visitors stayed longer in 2020 amid pandemic countermeasures.

Macau.- The average length of stay for Macau visitors rose in 2020, according to Macau’s Statistics and Census Service.

The figures show an increase of 0.2 of a day year-on-year to an average stay of 1.4 days in full-year 2020. The length of overnight stays rose by 0.6 of a day to 2.8 days.

The city saw a steep decrease in the aggregate number of visitor arrivals as a consequence of the Covid-19 pandemic. For full-year 2020, arrivals were down 85 per cent against 2019.

The number of overnight visitors for full-year 2020 stood at 2.82 million, down 84.9 per cent from 2019. Nearly half of those visits were recorded in January before the pandemic hit the region and the SAR authorities introduced measures to contain the spread of Covid-19.

The tally of overnight visitors accounted for 47.9 per cent of the total number of visitor arrivals.

After the resumption of visas for visitors from mainland China, the Macau government launched spending-stimulus initiatives aimed at boosting consumption and increasing the length of stays. These included discount offers for hotel stays and flights via some e-commerce platforms.

Such measures have helped to boost the stay of visitors for a longer time but it was not enough to impulse the spending.

Mainland Chinese visitors are the only consumer group currently entitled – in most cases – to quarantine-free entry to Macau.