As National Day Golden Week comes to a close, some retailers in Macau have seen sales jump, while others struggled to take advantage of the high foot traffic.
The Chinese public holiday, which went from October 1 to 7, brough more than 750,000 visitors to Macau in just the first four days. By the end of the week, the area had welcomed 1.14 million people, 15.5% more than the year before.
The increased traffic brought a boost to cosmetic and jewellery sales. Beauty retailer Sa Sa International Holdings reported a 60% increase in in-store sales across Hong Kong and Macau, while same-store sales jumped more than 50%.
Not all retailers, however, benefited from the large number of visitors flocking to the area. According to a local outlet, some jewellers, souvenir shops and cafés struggled to take advantage of the strong foot traffic.
Experts believe the recent strength of the yuan against the US dollar may have helped drive sales. Since 2024, the yuan gained nearly 9% against the dollar and, during this year's National Day Golden Week, strengthened about 0.1%.
In August, Macau's Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) reported almost 4.5 million arrivals, a 6.1% increase from the previous year. The area's tourism has been steadily rising, as Macau International Airport handled 5.21 million passengers from January to August alone.
The revenue boost represents a solid step towards diversification, as Macau continues to push to reduce its dependence on gaming.
This year, Macau passed 30 million visitors 22 days earlier than it did in 2025. Although gross gaming revenue (GGR) fell in September, the area remained ahead of its 2025 performance.
Macau's peak visitor day for the holiday was on Sunday, reaching 210,000 arrivals
