Macau tourism sector urges easier Vietnam visa process to capture growth

Macau should ease and streamline visa procedures for Vietnamese visitors to capture demand from one of Southeast Asia’s fastest-growing economies and further diversify its visitor base beyond Greater China, according to Andy Wu Keng Kuong, president of the Macau Travel Industry Council.

Speaking in an interview with Macau Daily News on Tuesday, Wu said Vietnam’s rapid economic growth and rising appetite for outbound travel have not translated into stronger arrivals to Macau, partly because visa applications remain relatively cumbersome.

Vietnam has a population of more than 102 million, making it the world’s 16th most populous country and the third largest in Southeast Asia. Its economy grew 8 percent last year, while first-quarter GDP expanded by more than 7.83 percent.

However, Vietnamese arrivals to Macau have remained weak. Government data show that only 250 Vietnamese visitors entered Macau in April, down 28 percent year-on-year. In the first four months of 2026, arrivals from Vietnam totaled 1,101.

Wu said Macau previously tightened visa scrutiny for Vietnamese nationals as part of efforts to combat illegal work and overstays, and that the procedures have not been relaxed since.

“To date, those measures have not been loosened,” Wu said. “So despite Vietnam’s rapid growth and a rising appetite for outbound travel, visitor numbers to Macau have fallen rather than increased.”

Vietnamese arrivals once reached 62,388 in 2009 and 48,437 in 2010, but later fell to around 10,000 annually and dropped further after the Covid period, with just 3,265 visitors recorded last year.

Wu noted that destinations across Southeast Asia have been actively courting Vietnamese travelers, while Hong Kong has also eased visa applications for Vietnamese visitors after the pandemic.

“We hope the authorities will adapt to changing market conditions by easing and streamlining the visa process for Vietnamese visitors, so Macau can seize the opportunities in that market,” he said.

The call comes as Macau continues to seek stronger international visitation. In the first four months of 2026, Macau recorded 1.01 million international visitors, up 10.7 percent year-on-year, while total arrivals reached 14.66 million, up 13.1 percent.

Thailand has emerged as a stronger source market, with arrivals rising nearly 60 percent to about 89,000 in the first four months. Wu attributed the growth to frequent Macau-Bangkok flights and years of promotion by the government, integrated resort operators and the wider tourism industry.

Macau’s broader international tourism push is also backed by official growth targets. Cheng Wai Tong, deputy director of the Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO), said previously the city’s tourism sector is on an overall growth trend, with visitor arrivals in 2026 outperforming last year and international arrivals showing solid momentum. The tourism authority hopes international visitor arrivals will exceed 3 million this year and maintain annual growth of at least 5 percent in the following years.