Macao recorded 166,100 visitors yesterday – the second day of the National Day holiday – according to a statement released by the Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO). The figure smashes the previous single-day record of 162,100 visitor arrivals for the National Day holiday period, logged on 5 October 2019.
Public Security Police Force data cited by various media outlets revealed that there were 708,954 inbound and outbound crossings in total, a jump of 14 percent over the previous day’s figure. Most people made their way via the Border Gate (82,067), the Hengqin Port (29,594) or the Macao Port of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge (22,281).
In particular, the Hengqin checkpoint has become an increasingly popular crossing among mainland Chinese visitors since its opening in 2020, with some telling local broadcaster TDM that it is less crowded and more efficient than the Border Gate and also offers parking for motorists.
[See more: Macao welcomed almost 140,000 visitors on National Day]
According to local reports, there was a noticeable rise in the number of tourists visiting the Ruins of Saint Paul yesterday – a tourism magnet. Two visitors were reportedly injured by the overcrowding and crowd control measures have been implemented in the area.
Overall, the visitor arrival figures during the first two days of the National Day holiday – a seven-day break on the Chinese mainland known as “golden week” – have exceeded the government’s estimate of around 100,000 people per day.
In light of the recent results, the acting head of the MGTO, Cheng Wai Tong, said that he was confident the daily visitor arrival rate would sustain a level of 130,000 or above. As for hotel occupancy over the past two days, Cheng said that it had been better than expected, hitting 94.6 percent.
