Macau’s Secretary for Economy and Finance, Lei Wai Nong, expressed confidence that the city is poised to host around 28 million visitor arrivals by the end of this year, following a successful reception of over 25 million tourists in the first 11 months of 2023.
Macau’s top official increased the tourist projection for the current year by nearly 16.6 percent. In contrast, the mid-year report from Macau’s tourism office anticipated only 24 million visitor arrivals by year-end.
Lei pointed out that the average daily number of international tourists visiting Macau was about 10 percent of the 2019 figure in January. However, after August, it exceeded 70 percent of the 2019 number, indicating significant progress in Macau’s overall recovery. The consumption of tourists has also increased, and there is hope to sustain this positive trend into the next year.
He emphasized that the Macau government will prioritize tourism promotion in Northeast Asia and Southeast Asia to expand the relevant tourist source markets in 2024.
During the same interview with Macau media, the secretary also mentioned that the gross gaming revenue (GGR) from January to November this year reached MOP 164.4 billion ($20.4 billion). He estimates that the GGR for the full year will be “better than expected”.
