The number of visitor arrivals to Macau during September increased by 2.4 percent year-on-year to nearly 2.49 million, according to data released on Monday by the city’s Statistics and Census Service.
The number of recorded overnight visitors grew 5.4 percent in year-on-year terms to just under 1.38 million in September. There was a 1.0-percent year-on-year decline in the aggregate of same-day visitors, to approximately 1.10 million.
The average length of stay of visitors remained at 1.3 days, similar to that in September last year. The length of stay of overnight and same-day visitors were 2.2 and 0.2 days respectively.
The number of mainland Chinese visitors to Macau in September was just over 1.72 million, with 714,960 of those arrivals via China’s Individual Visit Scheme for independent outbound travellers. The two figures rose by 9.2 percent and 3.8 percent respectively, compared to the prior-year period.
The number of visitors from Hong Kong and Taiwan – the second- and third-most important source markets respectively – dropped by 14.3 percent and 5.8 percent respectively in September.
The September figures also showed that the city’s tourism industry recovered quickly after the impact of Typhoon Hato, which struck Macau on August 23. Tourist arrivals for August were down by 0.6 percent year-on-year.
The Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) had asked its tour agent partners to suspend – between August 25 and September 1 inclusive – group tours to Macau, to allow the city time to recover from the effects of Typhoon Hato. Two days after the storm MGTO had also urged visitors to reconsider any upcoming trips to the city.
