An expected boom in summer travel has seen Macao overcome three consecutive months of declining visitor arrivals, with the city posting an almost 25 percent increase in visitor numbers in July.
According to the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) July saw 2,759,544 visitors, up from 2,209,662 in June. The numbers of both overnight and same-day visitors increased, but the average length of stay remained flat at just 1.3 days.
As ever, the greatest number of visitors came from mainland China, supplying almost 70 percent of the total. A further 26 percent of visitors came from Hong Kong and Taiwan, meaning that just 4 percent of visitors to Macao are from outside the country, in spite of efforts by the authorities to reduce dependence on the domestic market.
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The vast majority of visitors arrived by the Border Gate, Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, or ferry. Only eight percent came via the airport.
The latest arrival figures will be a boost to the recovering tourism industry, but they must be set against new figures showing a sharp fall in spending.
Official figures show that per capita visitor spending fell by almost 15 percent from 3,027 patacas in the first three months of the year to 2,610 patacas in the second quarter, as tourists tighten their belts.
