In November 2024, Macau witnessed a notable surge in tourism as visitor numbers reached an impressive 2.83 million. This figure is remarkably close to the 97.3 percent of the levels recorded in the same month in 2019, indicating a robust recovery of the tourism industry. According to data from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC), the rise in visitor numbers was spurred by an increase in both same-day and overnight visitors. Same-day visitors accounted for 1.58 million, marking a 14.1 percent increase compared to the previous year, while the number of overnight visitors also saw a climb of 4.6 percent annually, totaling 1.28 million.
Analyzing Visitor Trends
Macau's tourism officials have focused on enhancing the length of stay for visitors, yet the average duration remained stable at 1.2 days compared to the previous year. However, there was a slight uptick, by 0.1 day, for overnight visitors, increasing their average stay to 2.3 days. Mainland China continued to dominate as Macau's principal market, with visitor numbers up by 11 percent annually, amounting to 1.96 million. The Individual Visit Scheme (IVS), a pivotal aspect of tourist influx, saw 927,890 visitors, reflecting a 6 percent year-on-year increase. Furthermore, the newly added ten cities to this scheme contributed significantly to the increase, reaching 40,440 visitors, an 8.5 percent raise over the previous year. In contrast, although Hong Kong's visitation slightly decreased by 0.8 percent, totaling 554,053, it still represented 97 percent of 2019 levels.
International Visitor Growth
November also marked substantial growth in international visitation, topping 241,057 - a significant 20.9 percent increase. Macau's authorities are keenly focused on amplifying these numbers. Various countries contributed to this upswing; visitors from the Philippines rose by 22 percent, reaching 48,641; Malaysia's numbers surged by 25.5 percent, to 20,716; and an impressive rise of 61.1 percent was seen in visitors from South Korea, reaching 48,584. Perhaps surprisingly, U.S. visitors increased by 18.3 percent, totaling 16,218 for the month. Aggregating visitor totals from the start of the year until November, Macau welcomed 31.88 million visitors, representing a significant 26.2 percent increase year-on-year.
Source: Macau Visitor Numbers Top 2.82 Million in November, Asian Gaming Brief, December 23, 2024.
Posted by Wizard
Dec 23 2024
Dec 23 2024
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