The number of visitors who chose the sea route to reach Macau in 2019 fell by 39.5% to 6.26 million people.
Tourism
A total of 216 shuttle buses with 12,000 seats have been deployed for trips on the mega Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge to meet rising demand during the Spring Festival travel rush until February 18.
The Macau Government Tourism Office expects the number of visitor arrivals to drop by 3% this year, the first year-on-year dip since 2015.
The local airport expects 10.35 million passengers this year, which would be an increase of about 8% from last year.
Findings of MGTO survey on the possible implementation of a tourist tax shows 95% of local residents support such a tax, while 80% of those in the tourism sector oppose it.
The Public Security Police (PSP) recorded over 39.4 million visitor arrivals last year, a new record, up 10% from 2018.
Macau International Airport handled a record 9.6 million passengers last year, a year-on-year increase of 16%.
Macau now has two dozen Michelin-starred restaurants, including three top-rated establishments, since Tuesday.
Several airlines have long been running the Taiwan-Macau route, and Taiwan-based Starlux Airlines is launching one next month.