Macau Sees 993K Visitors During October Golden Week

The vibrant city of Macau once again proved its allure as a premier tourism and gaming destination during the October Golden Week. A staggering influx of 993,000 visitors graced the scenic and bustling locales of Macau from October 1st to October 7th, averaging nearly 142,000 visitors each day. This impressive figure represents a 22.9 percent increase from the previous year, making it a landmark period for the region.

The Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) had initially projected daily visitations to hover around 130,000, but the actual numbers exceeded expectations, emphasizing Macau’s growing appeal among tourists. Viviana Chan from Asia Gaming Brief reports extensively on this remarkable uptick in tourism, spotlighting the city’s extraordinary growth and resilience in the sector.

A major chunk of these visitors hailed from Mainland China, with 826,000 arrivals recorded, translating to an average of 118,000 tourists per day—a notable 34.7 percent year-on-year increase. Conversely, visitors from neighboring Hong Kong witnessed a dip, totaling 117,000, averaging 16,000 per day, marking a 21.8 percent decrease from the previous year. October Golden Week, a highly anticipated seven-day public holiday in Mainland China, vastly contributes to these figures, underscoring Mainland China as the primary tourist source for Macau.

Interestingly, research from Seaport Research Partners predicted a surge in Macau’s daily gross gaming revenue during this period, estimating up to MOP950 million ($118.5 million), an increase of 4 percent from May’s Golden Week projections and a 25 percent rise when compared to the Chinese New Year timeframe. Looking forward, Seaport anticipates that Macau’s total gross gaming revenue for October could ascend to an estimated MOP21.5 billion ($2.68 billion). This forecast aligns with positive market sentiment and robust hotel bookings, echoing traditional trends observed in the region.

Macau’s strategic positioning and the magnetic draw of its gaming and entertainment facilities continue to play a pivotal role in bolstering its global tourism standing. As highlighted by Viviana Chan, the surge in visitor numbers and economic forecasts augurs well for Macau’s future in the industry, promising a lucrative outlook that stakeholders are keenly observing.