Mainland Visitors to Macau Show Recovery Trends, Trail Pre-COVID

Macau experienced a significant uptick in visitors from the adjoining Guangdong province during the first half of this year, marking a notable recovery in tourism volumes. According to data reviewed by GGRAsia from Macau's Statistics and Census Service, arrivals from Guangdong showed a 30.4% increase year-on-year, reaching a total of 7.92 million visitors. This figure surpasses pre-pandemic levels, accounting for 131.3% of the 6.03 million visitors recorded during the same period in 2019, prior to the COVID-19 outbreak. This recovery is primarily fueled by the influx from nine economically advanced cities of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area. These cities contributed nearly 7.02 million visitors to the tally, with Zhuhai city alone accounting for 2.48 million visitors, marking a year-on-year increase of about 57%.

Challenges in Recovery from Markets Beyond Guangdong

While visitors from Guangdong have skyrocketed, the recovery from other mainland Chinese markets continues to face challenges. The first-half of the year registered a modest 6.9% growth in arrivals from regions outside Guangdong, tallying 5.85 million visitors. This represents only 70.6% of the visitor count achieved in the equivalent period in 2019, demonstrating slower recovery rates. Overall, these numbers form part of the 13.77 million mainland arrivals, which encompass 71.6% of the 19.22 million total tourist visits to Macau in the first half of the year. In addition, there is a broader context of a 19.3% year-on-year increase in mainland arrivals, though this still falls short of pre-pandemic levels, only achieving 96.2% compared to 2019 figures.

Comparative Analysis of Other Major Mainland Markets

Beyond Guangdong, provinces like Zhejiang, Shanghai, and Jiangsu have emerged as notable feeder markets for Macau. Zhejiang registered 458,894 visitors, a growth of 4.5% from 2019, while Shanghai achieved 443,182 arrivals, reflecting an 8.5% increase compared to the pre-pandemic era. Jiangsu also contributed significantly with 406,191 visitors. Despite these positive signs, these numbers underscore a shift in the top feeder markets, with provinces such as Hunan, Hubei, and Fujian, which were leading in first-half 2019, witnessing comparatively lower visitor numbers post-pandemic. This evolving dynamic highlights the broader challenges and opportunities faced by Macau's tourism sector as it seeks to rebound fully from pandemic-induced downturns.

Source: Macau's mainland visitors from outside Guangdong only 71pct of pre-pandemic level in 1H, GGRAsia, July 25, 2025.

Posted by Wizard
Jul 28 2025