However, figures show a marked improvement from the final months of 2020, while exports of services are growing again.
Statistics and Census Bureau
Massive increases in overseas trade in the past year point to a recovery from the downturn caused by Covid-19.
Occupancy, rates and overall numbers are all moving in the right direction after a difficult year for the hospitality industry blighted by Covid-19.
Mainland guests almost double at the city’s 120 hostelries, while the average occupancy rate is up by almost a quarter.
Bigger numbers helped by a massive influx of mainlanders who favour the Individual Visit Scheme.
Other statistics: females outnumber males; marriages drop by a quarter; 1,300 couples divorced; the number of over-65s is creeping up; 2,200 died.
Staycations provide little aid to Macao’s 120 embattled hotels and guesthouses, as mainland visitors stay away and inbound tours grind to a halt in January.
Most recent estimates put Macao’s population at just under 700,000 but data collection over the next five months should pinpoint the exact figure.
Macao’s electricity consumption dropped 6.7 per cent in 2020, the first year-on-year decline in three decades.