Tourism in Macau: hotel occupancy rate of over 90% for October Golden Week

Bookings for traditional hotels in the NAPE district were reportedly nearing 80 per cent ahead of the holiday period.

Macau.- Macau hoteliers have forecast that Macau is on track to achieve a hotel occupancy rate of over 90 per cent during the October Golden Week. Cheung Kin Chung, a government-appointed lawmaker who heads two industry groups, told Macau Daily News that bookings for “traditional hotels” in the NAPE district were approaching 80 per cent, with room rates remaining steady compared to the same period in 2019.

The figures suggest that National Day travellers are likely to stay for two to three nights. Three or four-star hotels are offering rooms for prices ranging from MOP1,000 (US$120) to MOP2,000 (US$240), while integrated resorts are priced at a minimum of MOP2,500 (US$300). On Sunday, 96,717 visitors arrived in the city, while 99,098 departed – two days before the start of the holiday period.

On Thursday (September 26), Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, the director of Macau’s Government Tourism Office (MGTO), said that the city may see an average of over 100,000 visitors a day this October Golden Week if weather conditions remain favourable. Last year, Macau saw 932,000 tourists during the holiday, averaging 116,000 visitors per day.

Citigroup has projected that Macau’s gross gaming revenue (GGR) for October will reach MOP20.5bn (US$2.56bn), a 5 per cent year-on-year increase. Analyst George Choi said the growth would be driven by strong advanced hotel bookings and robust demand from affluent players.

The report highlights optimistic expectations for the National Day Golden Week, with GGR anticipated to average around MOP900m (US$112m) per day during the holiday period, aligning closely with the run rates observed during this year’s Chinese New Year and Labour Day holidays.

See also: Tourism in Macau: hotel occupancy reaches 85.5% in first eight months of the year