Macau Sees 25% Surge in May Visitor Arrivals

Macau's tourism sector experienced a notable upswing in May 2023, with visitor arrivals skyrocketing by 25.3% year-on-year to exceed 3.37 million. This surge was primarily fueled by a sharp increase in same-day visitors, as indicated by the latest data from the Statistics and Census Service released recently. The statistics revealed a 39.2% year-on-year rise in day-trippers, reaching approximately 1.99 million, making up 59.1% of the city's total visitors for the month. Meanwhile, the number of overnight visitors increased by 9.4% compared to the previous year, totaling almost 1.38 million, with an average stay duration of 2.3 days. These figures reflect a growing trend in both same-day and overnight tourism, contributing positively to Macau's economy.

Impact of Golden Week and Gaming Industry

The visitor count in May received a significant boost during the 'May Golden Week,' a five-day holiday period in mainland China centered around Labour Day on May 1. Investment analysts described the influx as 'robust,' with daily arrival averages surpassing 170,000. This boom led to more than 850,000 visitors during the holiday season alone. Correspondingly, Macau's gaming sector also prospered; the gross gaming revenue (GGR) for May reached MOP21.19 billion (approximately US$2.62 billion), marking the highest monthly revenue since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. This was also the first time this year that the GGR surpassed the MOP20.0 billion mark, reinforcing the resurgence of the city's gaming industry alongside tourism.

Visitors Origin and Five-Month Overview

In examining the origins of May's visitors, approximately 72.4% or 2.44 million of those visitors hailed from mainland China, indicating a 31.4% increase from the previous year. Of these, travelers utilizing the Individual Visit Scheme (IVS) visas accounted for around 1.31 million arrivals, marking a 46.5% year-on-year growth. Beyond mainland China, Macau saw 232,211 visitors from international markets, a 25.6% rise from the previous year, with the Philippines, South Korea, and Indonesia as the top three contributors. Cumulatively, for the first five months of the year up to May 31, Macau welcomed nearly 16.33 million visitors, representing a 15.2% increase compared to the same period last year. Out of these, same-day visitors amounted to 9.57 million, growing 26.4%, while overnight visitors numbered 6.76 million, indicating a 2.4% rise.

Source: Macau visitor arrivals in May up 25pct year-on-year to nearly 3.4mln, GGRAsia, June 20, 2025.

Posted by Wizard
Jun 23 2025