Visitor arrivals in Macao surged during February 2026, driven primarily by the Lunar New Year break, with figures from the Statistics and Census Service (known by the Portuguese initials DSEC) showing a 32.6 percent year-on-year increase, totalling 4,172,940.
The data highlights a clear trend towards shorter trips, as the number of same-day visitors rose sharply by 41.8 percent to 2,676,431. By contrast, the increase in overnight visitors was more modest, growing 18.8 percent to 1,496,509. This preference for short stays meant the overall average length of stay dropped by 0.2 days year-on-year, resting at just 0.9 days. For those who did stay overnight, their average visit was 2.1 days, down 0.1 day compared to the previous year.
The overall growth was attributable to visitors from the Chinese mainland, who totalled 3,291,164, representing a year-on-year rise of 43.6 percent. The Individual Visit Scheme (IVS) was particularly popular, facilitating 2,032,456 travellers, a spectacular increase of 52.7 percent. Arrivals from Taiwan also climbed significantly by 31.9 percent to 89,628, while Hong Kong SAR visitors saw a more marginal 2 percent increase, reaching 591,300.
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However, the international market did not mirror this regional enthusiasm, with the total number of international visitors falling 3.3 percent year-on-year to 200,848.
Within Asian markets, performance was mixed. Visitors from the Republic of Korea decreased by 5.6 percent, recording 55,994. Drops were also registered from Indonesia (down 22.3 percent to 11,587) and Thailand (down 11.4 percent to 9,973). From long-haul markets, Macao welcomed 11,142 visitors from the USA, a 5.5 percent increase.
For the first two months of 2026 combined, visitor arrivals climbed 15.1 percent year-on-year to 7,820,268. Same-day visitors accounted for 4,931,130 of that total (up 22 percent), and overnight visitors reached 2,889,138 (up 5 percent). The total number of international visitors for January and February totalled 479,301, a 6.8 percent rise. The cumulative average length of stay over the two months remained stable at 1 day overall, with the average overnight stay holding steady at 2.2 days.
