Macau recorded some 1.55 million visitor arrivals during the Chinese mainland’s nine-day Chinese New Year (CNY) “Golden Week” holiday period this year, representing a daily average of 172,698, according to data released by the Macau Government Tourism Office (MGTO) yesterday.
The Chinese mainland’s nine-day holiday ran between Sunday last week (February 15) and Monday this week.
This year, the Chinese mainland’s Spring Festival holiday period lasted nine days for the first time, beginning on the day before the eve of the Chinese New Year of the Horse.
The Year of the Horse began on Tuesday last week.
The seventh day of the Year of the Horse was the last day of the Chinese mainland’s CNY holiday period this year.
Last year, the Chinese mainland’s Spring Festival holiday period lasted eight days, beginning on the eve of the Chinese New Year of the Snake.
The seventh day of the Year of the Snake was the last day of the Chinese mainland’s CNY holiday period last year.
According to the MGTO data released yesterday, Macau recorded 131,960 visitor arrivals on the first day of this year’s Spring Festival holiday, 85,894 on the second day, 147,031 on the third day, 186,537 on the fourth day, 227,905 on the fifth day (the third day of the Year of the Horse), 218,968 on the sixth day, 214,187 on the seventh day, 184,554 on the eighth day, and 157,249 on the last day (Monday this week).
Consequently, Macau recorded 1,554,285 visitor arrivals during the Chinese mainland’s nine-day Spring Festival holiday this year, i.e., between Sunday last week and Monday this week, representing a daily average of 172,698 during the period.
The 227,905 visitor arrivals recorded on the third day of the Year of the Horse set a new record of single-day number of visitor arrivals, breaking the previous record set on the third day of the Year of the Pig in pre-pandemic 2019, at 226,326.
The average daily number of visitor arrivals during this year’s nine-day Spring Festival holiday, 172,698, represented a 5.5 percent increase from the average daily number of visitor arrivals during last year’s eight-day Spring Festival holiday, 163,700.
Macau sets average daily record of CNY visitors
This year, the average daily number exceeded the one recorded during the Chinese mainland’s Spring Festival holiday in pre-pandemic 2019 (171,702), which lasted seven days, representing an increase of 0.6 percent.
A follow-up MGTO statement released last night noted that the average daily number of 172,698 was the highest ever recorded for the Chinese mainland’s CNY holiday period.
According to the data released on the MGTO website, the number of visitor arrivals recorded on the third day of the Year of the Horse (2026) represented a 4.0 percent increase from the number recorded on the third day of the Year of the Snake (2025).
The number of visitor arrivals recorded on the seventh day of the Year of the Horse represented a 14.6 percent increase from the number recorded on the seventh day of the Year of the Snake, according to the MGTO data.
During this year’s nine-day Spring Festival holiday in the mainland, according to the MGTO data, Macau recorded 1,205,905 visitor arrivals from the Chinese mainland, accounting for 77.6 percent of the total.
The average daily number of visitor arrivals from the Chinese mainland this time, 133,989, represented a 7.2 percent increase from the one during last year’s Spring Festival holiday, according to the data on the MGTO website.
Last night’s MGTO statement also said that Macau recorded some 71,000 visitor arrivals from foreign countries during this year’s nine-day Spring Festival holiday, representing a daily average of nearly 7,900 during the period, up 8.2 percent from the average daily number during last year’s Spring Festival holiday.
Customarily, Macau’s CNY public holiday lasts three days. This year, it took place between Tuesday and Thursday last week.
Police log 5.967 million border crossings during CNY
Meanwhile, the Public Security Police (PSP) said in a statement last night that Macau recorded 5.967 million entries and exits at its border checkpoints during this year’s nine-day Spring Festival holiday in the mainland, representing a daily average of 663,000, up 7.9 percent from the average daily number during last year’s eight-day Spring Festival holiday, 614,000.
The entry and exit (border crossings) figures recorded by the Public Security Police, which run Macau’s immigration service, comprise local residents, visitors, non-resident workers (NRWs), non-local students enrolled in Macau, and all others with a special permit to stay in Macau.
Tourists throng the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Ruins of St. Paul’s landmark on Monday, the last day of this year’s nine-day Chinese New Year holiday in the mainland. – Photo: Tony Wong
