Macau played host to over 16 million traveller arrivals in the first half of 2024, with the figure suggesting an 82.5 per cent recovery compared to 2019.
The figure – 16.729 million exactly – which comes from the Macao Government Tourism Office, also translates to a daily average of 91,918 – up 43.6 per cent year on year.
The authorities say that there were nearly 1.17 million visitors from abroad – up 146.4 per cent year on year, and about 7.3 per cent of the total recorded.
The tally is about 67.2 per cent of the 2019 level.
Earlier this year, the government set a target of 33 million visitors for 2024, and the total achieved so far is almost 48.5 per cent.
Package tours
The first five months saw 928,000 visitors travelling to the city on group tours – 2.3 times more than there were a year earlier. There was a 14-fold increase when it came to international travellers, which totalled 88,000.
Hotel occupancy rates
As for hotel accommodation, an average of 84.3 per cent was recorded for the January-May period, up 7.7 percentage points compared to 2023.
However, it is still 7.2 percentage points short of the 2019 record of 91.5 per cent.
In terms of guests, the first five months of the year saw about 6.135 million, up 25 per cent year on year or 6 per cent compared to 2019.
At a meeting held by the government-led tourism development committee, Secretary for Economy and Finance Lei Wai Nong emphasised the need for a “quality boost” for the tourism industry this year – an occasion that marks 25 years since Macau’s return to Chinese rule.
A lineup of events, including fireworks displays, will take place later this year, in addition to over 250,000 offers available since early this year such as air tickets, transport, hotel stays, and dining experiences.
