Macau’s tourist price index (TPI) rose 7.90 percent year-on-year in the first quarter, the Statistics and Census Bureau (DSEC) said in a statement Monday.
The statement blamed the Chinese New Year holiday period for the steep hike which it mainly attributed to higher hotel rates and restaurant prices.
However, the index also recorded “notable” increase in the price indices of clothing and footwear (+20.91 percent) and transport and communications (+13.19 percent) due to higher prices of men’s clothing, handbags and plane tickets.
Quarter-to-quarter, the TPI rose 0.28 percent.
The average TPI for the last four quarters rose 5.57 percent from the previous period, with “marked” price increases recorded for clothing and footwear (+14 percent), restaurant services (+9.88 percent) and entertainment (+8.80 percent).
However, the index of hotel rates dropped 1.18 percent.
The TPI reflects the price changes of goods and services purchased by tourists.(macaunews)
