Total visitor arrivals to Macau grew by 270 percent year-on-year in May to 2,213,807, according to the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC). The figure drops 2.6 percent compared to April. It is the fifth month in which tourism numbers have passed 1 million since the pandemic forced the city to close its borders in 2020.
The surge in visitor arrivals was boosted by the easing of entry restrictions and the resumption of air and land connections.
Visitor numbers from the Chinese mainland, the key source market, increased by 174 percent to 1,474,304. Of that number, 840,797 traveled under the Individual Visit Scheme, an increase of 377 percent from the same period in 2022.
Visitors from the nine Pearl River Delta cities in the Greater Bay Area increased by 77.2 percent year-on-year to 715,941, of whom 27.1 percent came from Zhuhai (193,944) and 21 percent from Guangzhou (150,260). Besides, visitors from Hong Kong (601,991) and Taiwan (31,537) rocketed by 962.3 percent and 473.7 percent year-on-year respectively.
In general, the growth of foreign tourists paused, as Macau received more than 105,975 visitors from overseas (excluding Taiwan and Hong Kong). The figure was down 1.9 percent compared to April.
According to statistical data from Macau’s immigration service, the Philippines remain the number one source for the international market. In May, Macau welcomed 21,660 tourists from the Philippines, 13,177 from Indonesia, 7,329 from Thailand, and 6,891 from the United States.
Visitor arrivals from South Korea had a significant growth in May, recording a 61.3 percent increase from 8,095 in April to 13,057 in May.
