Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) Director Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes said Wednesday that the total number of visitors to Macau this year is expected to exceed 33 million, hitting the government’s expected target from the beginning of the year.
In January, the MGTO said it was hopeful of welcoming 33 million visitors in 2024, including around 2 million foreign visitors (those from outside of mainland China, Hong Kong or Taiwan).
As of 10 November, visitor arrivals had exceeded 30 million, with a daily average of about 95,000 arrivals, the tourism agency confirmed.
“Last week’s Macao Grand Prix saw an increase in visitor arrivals, and with the peak season in the second half of December and more events coming up, I’m confident that there will be an increase in arrivals,” Senna Fernandes said.
“The number of foreign visitors has also increased recently and thanks to the measures introduced by authorities, the number of travellers transiting to Macau from Hong Kong International Airport has also grown.”
According to the Census and Statistics Department (DSEC), Macau recorded a total of 25,920,914 visitor arrivals in the first three quarters of this year, at an average of about 2.88 million arrivals per month.
Foreign visitors accounted for 6.5% of the total visitor arrivals in the first three quarters at 1.68 million arrivals.
The 33 million target for this year represents a significant increase over the 28.2 million who arrived in 2023. The all-time visitor record was set in 2019 when 39.4 million people arrived in the city.
