The number of visitors arriving in Macau during April saw an 11 percent year-on-year increase, to 2.74 million, according to the data released on Tuesday by the city’s Statistics and Census Service.
Meanwhile, the number of overnight visitors jumped to 1.44 million, resulting in a 17.7-percent year-on-year increase. The number of same-day visitors rose 4.4 percent year-on-year, to 1.30 million.
The tally of visitors from mainland China reached 1.76 million, up by 7.1 percent compared to the same period last year. The number of mainlanders travelling under China’s Individual Visit Scheme (IVS) went up by 18.5 percent, to 823,373.
The number of visitors from South Korea and Hong Kong increased by 48.7 percent and 25.3 percent respectively, while the monthly total of visitors from Taiwan dropped 2.8 percent year-on-year.
The data also show that the average length of stay of visitors was up 0.1 of a day, year-on-year, to 1.2 days, with the overnight and same-day visitors staying on average 2.1 days and 0.2 of a day respectively.
April’s reporting period included the Easter festive season, which in Hong Kong – a key Macau feeder market with 22 percent of April’s visitor arrivals – is marked with public holidays. Mainland China does not celebrate Easter.
On Friday the statistics service had reported that in the first quarter of 2017, the total spending of visitors (excluding gaming expenses) increased 16.6 percent year-on-year to MOP13.46 billion (US$1.68 billion). Visitor spending per capita was MOP1,709, which was up 10.5 percent year-on-year, but down 6.6 percent compared to the previous quarter.
