Macau recorded nearly 5 million visitor arrivals in the first quarter, with almost a third of those being visitors from Hong Kong, according to a Saturday press release from Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO).
“Provisional figures indicate that Macau registered over 4.96 million visitor arrivals in the first quarter of 2023, which include about 1.51 million Hong Kong visitors, a nearly tenfold surge year-on-year,” stated the tourism office.
It mentioned the data in a press release announcing a second round of subsidy on the price of ferry or bus tickets for inbound visitors resident in Hong Kong.
The first phase ran until March 31. The second phase runs from Monday (April 10) until June 30.
Under the initiative, known as “Macao Treat”, there is a buy-one-get-one-free offer; in the form of a complimentary return journey from Macau for Hong Kong residents travelling either via shuttle bus across the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge (pictured in a file photo) or by ferry. Conditions include that the visitor must stay at least one night in Macau, and must use the service of a participating bus or ferry operator.
Saturday’s release mentioned that the new round would also cover people visiting Macau from Taiwan and transiting via Hong Kong, and people from overseas transiting via Hong Kong.
The first round of “Macao Treat” was held from 13 January to 31 March. MGTO said that during the period, a total of 145,657 ferry or bus rides had been “enjoyed” via the special offer – equal to about 3 percent of the first-quarter total aggregate of visitor arrivals to Macau.
The tickets issued were circa 100,000 for ferry services and more than 45,000 for bus services.
“The phase-one special offer drew much attention and became a hot discussion topic on various social media in Hong Kong,” stated MGTO in its Saturday announcement.
In other developments, Macau International Airport said in a Thursday release that the facility had recorded more than 750,000 passenger journeys in the first quarter, “representing year-on-year growth of 1.7 times”.
It added there had been a 57 percent year-on-year improvement in flight movements, with more than 6,900 in the first quarter. Daily average passenger traffic was about 10,000 and the daily tally of flight movements was circa 100.
