Visitor arrivals to Macao surged past 1.2 million during the opening week of the Chinese mainland’s extended Spring Festival holiday, with official figures pointing to record-breaking daily traffic during the peak travel period, according to multiple news outlets.
Data released by the Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) showed that 1,212,482 visitors entered the city between 15 February and 21 February, representing a daily average of 173,212 arrivals.
[See more: Macao’s Lunar New Year sees all-time daily visitor arrival record]
The strongest inflow was recorded on the third day of the Year of the Horse, when 227,905 visitors arrived, setting a new single-day record for the city and surpassing the previous high of 226,326 recorded during the pre-pandemic Year of the Pig in 2019.
Mainland China remained the dominant source market, accounting for 932,752 arrivals during the seven days, or 76.9 percent of the total.
This year marks the first time the mainland’s Spring Festival holiday – as Lunar New Year is also called – has been extended to nine days, beginning on 15 February, one day before Lunar New Year’s Eve. The Year of the Horse began last Tuesday.
MGTO figures also show year-on-year growth on key peak days. Arrivals on the third day of the Lunar New Year increased 4 percent compared with the same lunar calendar day last year, while the fifth day registered a 13.3 percent rise.
The tourism office noted that direct comparisons with last year’s overall Spring Festival totals are not straightforward, as the 2025 holiday period began on Lunar New Year’s Eve, whereas this year’s holiday started one day earlier.
[See more: Hong Kong braces for millions of visitors in Lunar New Year surge]
Visitor statistics published by MGTO were slightly adjusted from figures released by the Public Security Police, which operates Macao’s immigration checkpoints.
Macao’s local public holiday for the Chinese New Year lasted three days, from Tuesday to Thursday last week.
