Macau’s number of visitors reached 32,647 on Friday, which is the highest amount recorded since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Macau Government Tourism Office (MGTO) said in a statement on Saturday.
According to the statement, the number of visitors has been increasing recently. For instance, in the past week (March 20 – 26) the government recorded 189,843 visitor arrivals, a daily average of 27,120 visitors. The statement said that compared with the Chinese New Year holiday period, the figure was a 109.5 percent increase. The statement stressed that it was also the highest weekly number of visitor arrivals since the outbreak of COVID-19 early last year.
Macau confirmed its first COVID-19 case on January 22, 2020.
The statement also pointed out that in February visitors’ average length of stay rose by 0.3 day to 1.9 days. The statement added that overnight visitors’ average length of stay was 3.2 days, a 0.2 day growth from January.
The statement said that the steady upward trend in visitor arrivals represents a greater flow of visitors which can be observed in the city’s favourite tourist areas. As the pandemic situation remains stable in the mainland and Macau, all mainland visitors are now exempt from mandatory quarantine. Given the situation, MGTO has seized the opportunity to roll out an array of online and offline promotions tailored for the mainland market continuously advertising Macau as a “healthy, safe and quality destination”, according to the statement.
Macau Week in Hangzhou
One of the MGTO’s promotion schemes is a “Macau Week in Hangzhou”, which ends today, according to another MGTO statement on Friday.
The statement pointed out that the event includes a mega-roadshow in Hubin Pedestrian Street which showcases Macau’s diverse travel experiences, business opportunities and colourful dimensions of “tourism +”, adding that it also highlightes that Macau is a “healthy, safe and quality destination” for mainland visitors to visit.
Hangzhou Municipal People’s Government Deputy Mayor KeJixin was quoted by the statement as saying that he led a delegation of the Hangzhou Municipal People’s Government to Macau in late 2020, stressing that Macau’s government has achieved “remarkable” results with its effective measures of COVID-19 pandemic control and prevention. He also praised Macau’s steady development of state key laboratories and technology innovation, which left him with a strong impression during his visit, the statement underlined.
On behalf of Secretary for Economy and Finance Lei Wai Nong, MGTO Director Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes said in the statement that with the availability of direct flights between Hangzhou and Macau, Zhejiang province had ranked among Macau’s top ten major sources of mainland visitors in recent years.
According to the statement, the Macau Week in Hangzhou showcases different aspects of the city’s tourism, such as MICE, culture and creativity, and sports. The statement also said that the event highlights Macanese cuisine, adding that a raft of online and offline events have been launched during the “Macau Week in Hangzhou”.
This undated handout photo provided by the Macau Government Tourism Office (MGTO) in Saturday shows visitors at Rua do Cunha in Taipa.
This undated handout photo provided by MGTO on Friday shows Tuna Macanese in action at the “Macau Week in Hangzhou” which ends today.
