Macao: Visitor arrivals hit 920,631 during 1st October Golden Week

More Mainland residents opted for travel during the 1st October Golden Week this year, with both the National Day and the Mid-Autumn Festival falling on this eight-day holiday (1st – 8th October). Attributed to this factor, total visitor arrivals to Macao registered an increase in comparison with the corresponding period of last year. Macao welcomed a total of 920,631 visitors during the eight-day 1st October Golden Week. Total visitor arrivals from 1st to 7th October registered a year-on-year rise of 11.6%.

According to the preliminary statistical figures (non-resident employees and students have been excluded from visitor arrivals) provided by the Public Security Police Force, Macao welcomed a total of 920,631 visitors during the eight-day 1st October Golden Week. In comparison with the corresponding seven-day period of last year, total visitor arrivals from 1st to 7th October this year reached 844,522 and marked a year-on-year increase of 11.6%, while visitor arrivals from Mainland China surged by 9.6%.

Visitor arrival figures

Greater China market
Macao welcomed a total of 696,636 visitors from the Mainland throughout the eight-day 1st October Golden Week, which constitutes 75.7% of total visitor arrivals to Macao. In the first seven days of the period, visitor arrivals from the Mainland hit 647,352, an increase of 9.6%, whereas visitor arrivals from Taiwan and Hong Kong surged by 20.1% and 6.4% respectively.

Hotel occupancy and room rate
Up to date, the room supply by local hotels and guest houses has reached a total of 37,678 rooms. According to figures provided by travel industry operators, local hotel establishments, especially 3-Star to 5-Star hotels, registered relatively satisfactory occupancy rates during the Golden Week. The average occupancy rate of 3-Star to 5-Star hotels was 95.9%, up 3.1 percentage points. On the other hand, the average occupancy rate of 2-Star hotels was 76.3%, down 1.9 percentage points, whereas the average occupancy rate of guest houses slightly went down by 1 percentage point to 74%.

The average room rate of hotel establishments (hotels and guest houses) in Macao was about 1,829.8 patacas during the Golden Week, a year-on-year increase of 7.0%. The average room rates of 5-Star and 4-Star hotels were around 2,120.3 patacas and 1,395.6 patacas respectively, up 4.3% and 13.1% respectively. The average room rates of 3-Star and 2-Star hotels were around 1,375.1 patacas and 1,129.1 patacas respectively, an increase of 12.6% and 50.9%. The average room rate of local guest houses was around 730.0 patacas, up 18.6%.

Before and during the past Golden Week, Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) actively prepared for the arrival of the peak period by carrying out an array of tasks including operation of tourism notification system, reminders to industry operators and visitors via letter and mobile text message respectively, interdepartmental sharing of information, thorough inspections, food guide publication, provision of enquiry service at designated locations, support to local associations for organizing holiday and weekend activities, etc. With the above measures, MGTO strived to cater for the needs of residents and visitors as well as to optimize the tourism environment and service quality in Macao.

Read more...