Macau is preparing to receive around 1.2 million visitors during the upcoming National Day Golden Week, with daily arrivals projected to average 150,000, according to Helena de Senna Fernandes, Director of the Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO), as cited by public broadcaster TDM.
This year’s eight-day holiday, running from October 1st to 8th, combines National Day with the Mid-Autumn Festival, resulting in a longer break compared with 2024. Fernandes explained that the extended holiday, along with favorable travel measures such as multiple-entry permits via Zhuhai and Hengqin, is expected to push visitor numbers above last year’s levels.
Hotel occupancy is also forecast to remain strong, exceeding 90 percent. Fernandes noted that demand in August had already lifted occupancy above this threshold, underscoring robust market conditions. While hotel rates generally rise during peak travel periods, she added that the latest trend reflects “rational” adjustments rather than sharp increases. At present, Macau offers about 47,000 hotel rooms, with further capacity expected to be added in Hengqin’s Guangdong-Macau In-Depth Cooperation Zone.
Visitor arrivals have been steadily climbing throughout 2025. In August alone, the city welcomed 4.22 million visitors, setting a new monthly record and marking a 15.5 percent increase year-on-year. From January to August, total arrivals reached nearly 26.9 million, representing a 15 percent rise compared with the same period in 2024.
It is noteworthy that Macau recorded 7.68 million visitor arrivals during July and August combined, averaging 123,000 arrivals per day. This figure was 7.4 percent higher than in the same period of 2019, prior to the pandemic. Peak single-day visitor traffic hit 195,000 during the summer months.
In early August, Davis Fong, director of the Institute for the Study of Commercial Gaming at the University of Macau, said the pace of recovery could allow annual arrivals to surpass the historic peak of 39 million recorded in 2019.
Looking ahead, the MGTO plans to strengthen regional cooperation to sustain momentum. This is to be boosted by the development of new hotel properties and the rollout of package tours in collaboration with Hengqin and other cities across the Greater Bay Area. The goal, Fernandes said, is to ensure Macau can accommodate rising demand while broadening the scope of tourism offerings.
Meanwhile, in celebration of World Tourism Day on September 27th, MGTO welcomed a family of five from South Korea at Macau International Airport, presenting them with gifts and e-consumption cards. The initiative is part of wider efforts to stimulate local spending and encourage community-based tourism, reflecting the government’s broader strategy of integrating economic growth with cultural exchange.
