Macau hotel occupancy hits just 23% in March

Coronavirus crisis sees hotel occupancy rates fall 67.9 per cent year on year in Macau.

Macau.- According to official numbers, the average occupancy rate of hotel guest rooms in Macau fell 67.6 per cent year in year to just 23.2 per cent in March due to Coronavirus border and travel restrictions.

However, the number represents a slight increase compared with the 15.2 per cent occupancy rate recorded in February when hotels and resorts were forced to close for two weeks.

The occupancy rate at 5-star hotels fell 74.9 per cent YoY to 16.9 per cent, while 2-star hotels and guesthouse occupancy rates fell 47.9 per cent and 46.1 per cent respectively.

112 hotels and guesthouses were open for business in March, but available guest rooms declined by 13.2 per cent to 34,000.

Guest check-ins to hotels fell by 79.7 per cent year-on-year to 240,000, while guest arrivals from mainland China fell by 79.8 per cent to 170,000.

The average length of stay of guests did increase by 0.5 nights to 1.9 nights during the month.

In the first quarter of 2020, the average occupancy rate of guest rooms was 41.4 per cent, representing a decline of 50.5 per cent year on year.

Hotel and guesthouse occupancy fell by 57.6 per cent during the same period.