Macau sees highest daily visitor tally since start of Covid-19 pandemic

Macau received 96,000 visitors on March 18, according to the Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO).

Macau.- The Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) has reported that on March 18, the city received 96,000 visitors. That’s the highest daily count of inbound visitors since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.

The average daily inbound visitor volume from March 1 to 22 was approximately 65,000, a 13.4 per cent increase on February’s daily average. In January and February combined, Macau registered almost 3 million inbound visitors, following the lifting of most Covid-19-related countermeasures in mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau.

The resurgence in visitor numbers from mainland China and Hong Kong is a positive sign for Macau’s economy, which has been heavily impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. The MGTO’s deputy director, Ricky Hoi Io Meng, told media the number of inbound visitors from Hong Kong had reached “over 80 per cent of the pre-Covid 19 level” while that from mainland China had recovered to “50 per cent”.

However, there has not yet been significant growth in the number of international tourists, which Hoi said was still “relatively low” due to “transport constraints”. While some air links have resumed, the volume of passengers has not yet recovered. 

Eric Fong Hio Kin, marketing department director at Macau International Airport Co Ltd, said the daily volume of passengers is currently 9,000 to 10,000, which is 30 per cent to 40 per cent of the same period in 2019.

See also: Macau aims to increase number of visitors from overseas