Macau tourism to hit pre-pandemic levels this summer

Visitor arrivals are expected to reach pre-pandemic levels, according to the Macau Travel Industry Council’s president.

Macau.- Andy Wu Keng Kuong, president of the Macau Travel Industry Council, has predicted that daily visitor arrivals in Macau will reach pre-Covid-19 levels this summer. He projected an average of 70,000 to 80,000 visitors per day.

Factors driving the rebound will include an increasing number of package tours from mainland China and the presence of travellers from international feeder markets following the lifting of Covid-19 restrictions earlier this year. 

Macau’s aviation authority approved the resumption of several overseas services from April, including flights connecting Macau to the Philippines run by Cebu Air Inc, and Seoul-Macau flights operated by South Korean budget carrier Jin Air. 

The number of tourist arrivals during China’s Labour Day period (April 29 to May 3) reached 491,968, with 376,000 coming from mainland China, according to a report from the Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO). The figures put the average daily visitor volume for the Labour Day break at 98,600, which is 61.9 per cent of 2019 levels.

According to Statistics and Census Service the summer months of July and August 2019 saw 113,878 and 116,874 daily visitors respectively.

Macau reported that GGR for April was up 15.6 per cent month-on-month from MOP12.73bn to MOP14.72bn (US$1.83bn). The figure was up 449.9 per cent when compared to last year and made April the best month since January 2020. Accumulated GGR for the first four months of the year reached MOP46.36bn (US$5.75bn), a 141.4 per cent yearly increase.