Macao’s tourism recovery appears to have ended 2023 on a high, setting a new post-pandemic record of 175,030 daily visitors on New Year’s Eve, according to provisional data from the Macau Government Tourism Office (MGTO).
In total, the SAR welcomed 28.23 million across the year – about 70 percent of 2019’s figure, and in line with recent predictions. In 2022, Macao’s third year of Covid-19 travel restrictions, a mere 5.7 million visitors ventured into the city.
The average daily number of visitors for 2023 was 77,000 and the vast majority hailed from the Chinese mainland.
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Foreign arrivals increased significantly at the end of the year, nearly reaching 2019’s level. On 30 December 2019, just over 12,000 international visitors entered Macao. That same day in 2023 saw almost 11,260.
In its statement, MGTO said it was pleased with Macao’s tourism recovery since borders fully reopened at the start of 2023. It also noted promising “growth prospects” for 2024 and pledged to “actively explore international visitor markets” over the coming year.
The government has said it aimed to attract around two million visitors from outside Greater China in 2024.
