Macau recorded some 163,000 visitor arrivals yesterday, the second day of the Chinese New Year (CNY), according to official statistics.
Speaking to reporters while visiting tourist spots earlier today, Macau Government Tourism Office (MGTO) Director Helena de Senna Fernandes said the number of visitor arrivals during the first two days of the CNY was higher than expected.
Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng was accompanied by Senna Fernandes and other senior officials while visiting some of Macau's tourist spots.
Last week, Senna Fernandes predicted a daily average of 120,000 visitor arrivals per day during the mainland's eight-day CNY "Golden Week" holiday, which began on Saturday, the first day of the Year of the Dragon ("Long Nian" in Putonghua).
Mainlanders and Hongkongers have accounted for around two-thirds and one-quarter of Macau's visitor arrivals respectively since early last year. The three-year impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the local tourism sector began to gradually ease in late 2022.
Senna Fernandes also said last week she expected Macau's number of visitor arrivals to reach 33 million this year, or nearly 84 percent of the record 39.4 million in pre-pandemic 2019.
Due to the large number of tourists visiting Macau's UNESCO World Heritage-listed Ruins of St Paul's and main square, Largo do Senado, the police have imposed temporary day-time crowd control measures on several neighbourhoods since the beginning of the CNY holiday period late last week.
Meanwhile, Secretary for Economy and Finance Lei Wai Nong told the media earlier today that the government's focus on the development of the tourism industry's non-gaming attractions was already bearing fruit, pointing out that the number of hotel guests last year reached 96 percent of the one in 2019.
In 2023, Macau recorded 13.5 million hotel guests and 28.2 million visitor arrivals, the latter accounting for nearly 72 percent of the number in 2019.
Macau's population stood at 681,300 at the end of September last year, according to the latest available demographics.
Caption: A policeman controls vehicular and pedestrian traffic in Avenida de Almeida Ribeiro along Macau's main square, Largo do Senado, this afternoon. The festively decorated square is one of Chinese New Year holidaymakers' main destinations. - Photo: Carl Leong
