Macau has surpassed its pre-pandemic tourism record, with cumulative visitor arrivals reaching 39.41 million as of 11am on December 27th, exceeding the full-year total of 39.4 million recorded in 2019, according to the Public Security Police.Â
Data released by the police show that mainland Chinese visitors accounted for 72.4 percent of total arrivals, followed by visitors from Hong Kong at 18.3 percent, Taiwan at 2.5 percent, and other regions at 6.8 percent.
Authorities said visitor numbers are expected to rise further ahead of New Year’s Eve, with additional police deployments already in place to ensure orderly border crossings and the safe operation of countdown events across the city.
A separate update issued on December 28th highlighted growing cross-border movement through Hengqin. As of 1pm, the Hengqin Port recorded over 30 million passenger crossings for the year, with an average daily flow of 83,000, representing a 32.6 percent year-on-year increase.
Among those crossing the port, Macau residents accounted for 26.9 percent, tourists 38.9 percent, non-local tertiary students 17.9 percent, foreign workers 15.7 percent, and others 0.6 percent.
Located adjacent to the Cotai Strip, where most of Macau’s integrated resorts are concentrated, Hengqin Port has become an increasingly popular entry point since the opening of its upgraded passenger terminal in August 2020, particularly for visitors traveling between mainland China and Macau.
The latest figures align with earlier projections from the Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO), which forecasted between 38 million and 39 million visitors in 2025. MGTO director Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes previously said authorities remain confident in achieving the target, citing sustained regional travel demand and steady tourism flows into the city.
