According to the Macau Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) on the 1st, the number of tourists visiting Macau from January through September this year reached 32.18 million, an 8.5% increase compared to the same period last year. Tourists from mainland China led the growth, rising by nearly 11% to 23.88 million. The number of tourists from Taiwan also increased by more than 21% to 880,000. In contrast, the number of tourists from Hong Kong decreased slightly (0.3%) to 5.46 million.
Foreign tourists, excluding those from the Greater China region—which includes mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan—totaled 1.949 million, a 3.4% increase compared to the same period last year. By country, Thailand saw an increase of approximately 35% to 155,000 visitors, India saw an increase of approximately 14% to 92,000 visitors, and the United States saw an increase of nearly 7% to 120,000 visitors. In contrast, the number of South Korean tourists decreased by 2.1% to 375,000.
Despite the increase in tourists, the total number of hotel guests declined slightly. From January through September of this year, hotel guests totaled 10.81 million, a 0.9% decrease compared to the same period last year. Conversely, the average room occupancy rate for the same period rose by 1.5 percentage points (p) to 90.7%. As of the end of September, the supply of hotel rooms also increased by 1.6% compared to the previous year. By hotel rating, 5-star hotels had the highest room occupancy rate at 93.5%, followed by 4-star hotels at 88.5% and 3-star hotels at 85.2%.
Notably, hotel stays by foreign tourists increased. From January through September of this year, the number of foreign visitors staying at Macau hotels rose 10% year-over-year to 939,000. Although the number of South Korean visitors decreased by more than 2%, their hotel stays increased by 9.7% to 273,000. The number of guests from Thailand and India also increased by approximately 34% and 16%, respectively. Hotel guests from mainland China and Hong Kong decreased by approximately 2% and 3%, respectively. Through September of this year, Macau has seen a more than 14% year-over-year increase in same-day visitors, while the average length of stay decreased by 0.1 days to 1.0 day, indicating a stagnation in overnight accommodation demand.
Along with the rise in tourist numbers, electronic payment volumes in the retail and food service sectors also increased. From January through September of this year, electronic payment volumes in Macau’s retail sector reached 42.96 billion patacas (MOP) (approximately $5.33 billion), an increase of over 13% compared to the same period last year. Electronic payment volume in the food service industry also rose by more than 2% to 10.41 billion patacas (approximately $1.29 billion).
In particular, electronic payment volume in the retail sector in September reached 4.24 billion patacas (approximately $526 million), an increase of nearly 13% compared to the same month last year. By sector, electronic payment volume in the watch and jewelry retail sector rose by about 47%, while that in the cosmetics and personal care products retail sector increased by about 35%. In the same month, electronic payment volume in the food service sector rose by more than 5% to 1.1 billion patacas (approximately $136 million). Electronic payment volume at Western-style restaurants and Chinese restaurants increased by about 12% and 5%, respectively.
