Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng has hailed the massive influx of tourists over Chinese New Year (CNY) as the light at the end of the tunnel after the three years when the Covid-19 pandemic shrank visitor numbers to almost zero.
While touring the city during the new year holiday he said that “Macao had begun to emerge from the fog of the pandemic”, and that thanks to the relaxation of border measures, residents can look forward to economic recovery and social normality.
Between the eve of CNY and the third day of the holiday, Macao welcomed a grand total of 244,664 visitors, with an average daily rate of 61,166, marking an increase of 276.9 per cent compared to the CNY golden week in 2022.
A total of 90,391 visitors entered Macao on Tuesday, around 20,000 more than the previous day, according to data from Public Security Police, who added that 53,244 came from mainland China and 32,210 from Hong Kong.
Meanwhile, the pedestrianisation of Avenida de Almeida Ribeiro, which has meanwhile returned to normal operation, attracted around 93,000 visitors in the first three days of CNY, including residents and tourists.
The Strolling through Almeida Ribeiro – Pilot Scheme for a Pedestrian Area will return on 4 February, the 14th day of the CNY, and the following day, the 15th day of the CNY.
Tourism officials acknowledged that the number of daily visitors marked a new record since the beginning of the pandemic in 2020.
The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge was the most trafficked border checkpoint, followed by the Gongbei Border Gate.
