Macau visitors to return to May levels by October

Sanford C. Bernstein Ltd has predicted Macau could return to April and May visitor levels by October’s Golden Week.

Macau.- Analysts at Sanford C. Bernstein Ltd have suggested Macau could return to April and May visitor levels by October, after a decline during August amid local Covid-19 cases.

According to the Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO), 760,000 tourists arrived in Macau in April and 866,063 in May thanks to the Labour Day break – the highest monthly tally since January 2020, previous to the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.

For the last week of August, analysts reported that average daily border movement in both directions by visitors was about 35,000 instances, up 7 per cent when compared to the previous week.

The MGTO has predicted the city 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.

Macao Government Tourism Office director Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes said: “The October Golden Week is a very important period as everyone is hoping to achieve a better business performance.”

Macau could receive between 7 and 8 million visitors this year

In June, the MGTO predicted the city could receive between 7 and 8 million visitors this year. That compares to previous forecasts of between 6 and 10 million arrivals.

Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes changed her predictions after a rise in Covid-19 cases in the province of Guangdong in June.