MACAU, October 8 - The National Day Holiday (1 – 7 October 2022) has drawn to an end in Mainland China. Preliminary statistics revealed an average daily volume of 26,000 visitor arrivals in Macao over the seven-day holiday while the average occupancy rate of local hotels reached 66.7%, both marking an increase of 30% compared with the corresponding figures in September. The visitor figures exceeded the expectation. Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) is vigorously working out arrangements for implementation of preferential measures for Macao, while getting prepared to welcome tour groups and visitors with electronic travel permit, joining hands with the travel trade to spur tourism and economic revival.

Spurred by the favorable border measures with the Mainland, as well as the tailored promotional campaign and special offers, Macao welcomed 182,000 visitors in total, which included 163,000 Mainland visitors, throughout the seven-day National Day Holiday. Average daily visitor arrivals hit 26,000, a surge of 32.8% compared with the average daily figure of September in 2022. On 1 October, Macao registered over 37,000 visitor arrivals, the second highest single-day record in 2022.

The visitor figures of the National Day Holiday are more satisfactory than expected, suggesting gradual restoration of travelers’ confidence in Macao. Visitors abounded in tourist attractions and places, a positive sign for the tourism and related industries. The upward trend is expected to bolster the local tourism and economy.

Hotel occupancy rate up by nearly 30 percentage points

Bolstered by the positive factor of rebound in visitor arrivals, the hotel occupancy rate also went up considerably. Industry figures indicated an average occupancy rate of 66.7% among local hotels during the National Day Holiday, up by 28.1 percentage points compared with the rate in September 2022. The occupancy rate on 2 October even reached 81.8%, the highest among the seven-day holiday.

Proper order is maintained through patrols

Between 1 – 7 October, MGTO conducted a total of 39 inspections targeting major ports of entry, tourist attractions, hotels and other licensed establishments under its supervision for their implementation of pandemic preventive measures. During inspections, no sign of irregularities was discovered. MGTO inspectors were standing by round-the-clock. Tourist Information counters tended to visitors’ enquiries, while MGTO's tourism hotline (853) 2833 3000 maintained its 24-hour operator service as usual. During the period, MGTO received one visitor complaint mainly about taxi service.

Gearing up to welcome tour groups and visitors with e-permit

It is expected that four Mainland provinces and one municipality (Guangdong, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Fujian and Shanghai) will resume electronic issuance of travel permits to Macao at the end of October, followed by gradual resumption of group travel. Macao will be the first outbound destination for tour groups from the Mainland since the first outbreak of COVID. Visitor arrivals are expected to rise to a higher level.

For the above, MGTO continues to discuss a series of work plans on announcement details with travel trade associations, including arrangements on marketing campaigns and implementation schemes, while discussing with different governmental entities on safeguarding work in different areas. The Office hopes that the travel trade can offer high-quality services for tour groups from the Mainland and maintain Macao’s positive image as a safe and quality destination for group travel.

Online and offline promotional campaign continues

Riding on the positive tourism trends over the National Day Holiday, MGTO has worked out meticulous plans for different tourism products and promotional initiatives via multiple channels in the Mainland. The array of promotional events is mapped out for the fourth quarter. Under stable pandemic situation in the Mainland, MGTO will organize destination presentations and consumer activities in the Greater Bay Area and Mainland cities with direct flights to Macao, to spur travel, spending and tourism revival in Macao.

In terms of e-marketing, MGTO has been spotlighting Macao as a safe and quality destination via platforms such as WeChat, Weibo, Xiaohongshu, Douyin, travel influencers and news websites in the Mainland. Special offers on travel, hotels and air tickets are launched in ongoing partnership with e-commerce platforms.

In the fourth quarter, online familiarization visits will be arranged for media and travel trade from major short-haul and long-haul tourist markets, for their latest update of Macao tourism products. Highly-acclaimed social media will be leveraged continuously to showcase the unique charm of Macao as a travel destination, maintain Macao’s publicity and prepare for future resumption of international travel.

Colorful events in the fourth quarter

A variety of festivities and events will be coming up in Macao between October and December. The “Experience Macao, Unlimited” promotional campaign is going on to showcase monthly city highlights in tailored themes. The colorful calendar of events and festivals is expected to attract visitors, spur tourist spending and extend their length of stay in Macao as an enhancer for economic revival.

Share pandemic prevention info with visitors

MGTO has been leveraging different channels to inform visitors of various information about pandemic prevention, such as posting pandemic prevention guidelines on its website, publicizing information on pandemic prevention at MGTO’s Tourist Information counters at ports of entry, calling for attention on pandemic prevention via MGTO’s WeChat and Weibo platforms. The Office also reminds travel industry operators to carry out pandemic preventive measures in accordance with pertinent advice and guidelines issued by Health Bureau. Hotel establishments and industry operators also assist to convey messages about pandemic prevention to visitors.

Residents and visitors can visit MGTO’s website: http://www.macaotourism.gov.mo or follow MGTO on WeChat (ID: MGTOweixin) to learn about the latest tourism information, events and festivals.