Hong Kong was the source of more than five million visitors to Macao between January and September this year, illustrating its importance as the SAR’s second biggest tourism market.
That’s according to the director of the Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO), who made the remarks at a weekend roadshow in Hong Kong.
Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, who was recently reappointed for another two-year term, compared the figure to the 5.58 million Hong Kong visitors recorded in Macao in the first nine months of 2019 – the last year before strict travel restrictions were imposed as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.
[See more: More people are coming to Macao, but they’re each spending far less than before]
According to the latest official data, more than 17.5 million people came to Macao between January and August of this year.
The vast majority of visitors are from mainland China and authorities have set a goal of diversifying Macao’s source markets to reduce dependency on domestic tourism.
Earlier this month, Senna Fernandes said that foreign visitors made up only five percent of the total, but she was confident the proportion would increase with improved international flights to Macao and shuttle bus services from Hong Kong.
