Macau welcomed 1.14 million visitors during this year's extended Golden Week holiday period, according to figures released earlier today.
The total represents a 15% increase compared with Golden Week 2024, reflecting continued recovery in inbound tourism and strong demand from mainland China.
Despite this positive trajectory, arrivals fell slightly short of the 1.2 million visitors projected by the Macao Government Tourism Office ahead of the holiday.
Within the traditional seven-day timeframe, visitor arrivals reached 1.05 million, a 7.4% improvement over last year's equivalent period.
Industry observers highlighted that even without the extended holiday, the figures would still have signalled steady growth.
Golden Week plays a central role in supporting Macau's casino sector, which has faced several challenges in recent months. In September, Super Typhoon Ragasa forced a 33-hour closure of the city's casinos, temporarily disrupting revenues. Gaming revenue for the month increased 6% year-on-year but nonetheless missed analyst forecasts.
Tourism data from Golden Week is being closely monitored, with many predicting that October could deliver Macau's strongest monthly gaming revenues in six years. Factors cited include strong hotel bookings, resilient mass-market demand and visitor spending trends that continue to edge closer to pre-pandemic levels.
The 2019 Golden Week recorded 974,000 arrivals, meaning the latest figures surpass pre-Covid benchmarks.
While forecasts fell marginally short, industry stakeholders still view the results as an encouraging sign of momentum for Macau's tourism recovery.
Following the Golden Week results, some analysts believe Macau could be positioned for a record-breaking October, potentially reaching gaming revenues of MOP 23bn and achieving a six-year high
