Around 409,000 tourists entered Macao during the Ching Ming Festival holiday between 4 and 6 April, according to data published today by the Public Security Police (PSP). This figure is equivalent to some 136,000 visitors per day, an increase of 14.7 percent year-on-year.
Approximately 301,000 visitors originated from mainland China, representing 73.7 percent of the tourists that travelled to Macao over the three-day holiday. Hong Kong, with its 72,000 visitors, came in a distant second, accounting for 17.6 percent of the total. Arrivals from Taiwan totalled 8,000 (2 percent), while those from foreign locations came to 27,000 (6.7 percent).
Overall, around 2.01 million cross-boundary trips were made in Macao during the Ching Ming Festival, a figure that is equivalent to 671,000 entries and exits per day. When compared to the 1.81 million clocked during last year’s holiday period, the current rate represents a rise of 10.8 percent.
Of the land crossings, the Border Gate was the busiest, recording 1.01 million inbound and outbound trips or 50.2 percent of the total. The Qingmao Port was ranked second, handling 311,000 travellers or 15.5 percent of the total.
Other crossings that logged substantial traffic included the Macao Port of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge (HZMB), which recorded 273,000 crossings (13.6 percent), and the Hengqin Port, which registered 26,000 trips (12.9 percent).
[See more: International visitors to Macao rose by almost 18 percent in February]
The Zhuhai Port of the HZMB was particularly busy, with CCTV reporting that over 272,000 visitors and 57,000 vehicles had passed through the crossing between 4 April and 6 April (12 pm), setting new records for the period. When compared to the same period last year, Zhuhai Port’s foot and vehicular traffic numbers mark a growth of 32.1 percent and 41.7 percent year-on-year.
Nationwide, an estimated 790 million cross-regional trips are expected to have been made during the festival holiday, according to the latest data from the Ministry of Transport cited by CCTV. This record breaking number, which is equivalent to 264 million daily trips, marks a surge of 7.1 percent year-on-year.
Data published today by the National Immigration Administration indicates that 6.21 million trips were made across China’s borders over the holiday, an increase of 19.7 percent in comparison to the same period last year.
Mainland nationals accounted for 2.76 million of these trips, up 14 percent year-on-year. Crossings made by Macao, Hong Kong and Taiwanese residents, meanwhile, hit 2.75 million (up 21.5 percent), while those from foreign citizens totalled 697,000 (up 39.5 percent).
Celebrated during the first week of April, the Ching Ming Festival is a traditional occasion for Chinese families to pay their respect to their ancestors by visiting their graves and engaging in activities such as tomb sweeping and burning offerings.
