Macau eases measures with Guangdong to increase arrivals

Authorities have announced that current measures with the neighbouring province of Guangdong will be eased to help increase the number of tourism arrivals.

Macau.- After a rise in the daily tally of inbound tourists after a brief Covid-19 scare earlier in the month, authorities in Macau have announced a relaxation in border entry requirements for people coming from Guangdong.

The government has already announced an extension for the validity of negative Covid-19 tests for visitors from Guangdong province from 48 hours to seven days. Now authorities expect to continue easing border restrictions amid a rise in the number of flights in the following weeks in time for the October Golden Week.

Macao Government Tourism Office director Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes predicted Macau could receive 25,000 visitors per day during the October Golden Week. This year, the October Golden Week will be held during the first seven days of October. Last year, the number of visitors entering the city surpassed 20,000 a day on average.

The news comes after no new local Covid-19 cases of Covid-19 emerged following mass testing.

Macau’s Public Security Police has reported that Macau’s visitor arrivals between August 14 to 18 were up 168 per cent when compared to the previous week. There were over 30,000 entries and exits daily between August 16 to 18, up 65 per cent when compared to the previous week.

In July, Macau’s Public Security Police reported that 789,407 visitors came to Macau, a growth of 49.36 per cent month-on-month. 

Mainland China continues to be the only country to have a largely quarantine-free travel bubble with Macau. 

Macau’s GGR up 55 per cent week-on-week

Sanford C. Bernstein Ltd has reported that Macau’s Gross Gaming Revenue (GGR) for the third week of August was MOP120m (US$15.0m), up 55 per cent when compared to the previous week, when GGR was MOP78m(US$9.7m).

Analysts said: “The past week’s GGR recovered as the travel impediments caused by Macau’s recent local Covid cases have begun to be gradually relaxed.”

They noted that China is slowly reducing travel restrictions in some areas after appearing to pass the peak of the most recent Covid-19 outbreak.

Macau’s GGR for the first 22 days of August was MOP2.4bn. The month-to-date average daily rate is MOP109m, down 86 per cent when compared to August 2019 levels and down 60 per cent compared to July’s figures.