Macau sets new visitor record

Macau is becoming increasingly popular as a gambling destination. The East China Sea city, famous for its casinos, stunning architecture and Portuguese colonial heritage, is down in August two rather weak months [Link to English] set a new visitor record. According to the, the city has 3.65 million people Macao Statistics and Census Service [Link to English] visited during the month. According to the government of the Chinese Special Administrative Region, this is a new record set [Link to English], which exceeded the number of visitors from November 2019 (3.62 million).

JP Morgan analysts believe

That demand trends in Macau are performing slightly better than the market has recently feared, and are performing better than many other consumption spaces in China.”–JP Morgan Team, JP Morgan, GGRAsia

Focus on international tourism

2.75 million of the visitors came from China, Macau's most important market, an increase of 18.5% compared to the previous year. At the same time, however, the number of visitors from neighboring Hong Kong fell by 6.8 percent. The influx of international visitors increased by 25.5 percent to 162,331, which corresponds to around 75.3 percent of the pre-pandemic level in 2019. The Macau government has set itself the goal of using social media campaigns for the future to attract even more tourists from overseas markets [Link to English].

Macau is a small destination, so we rely heavily on events and various festivities to attract people to come here and keep the destination in their minds. That's why I think content is key and we have to give them very interesting content so that they constantly think about Macau." -Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, Director of the Macau Government Tourism Office (MGTO), Macau Post

Quick recovery after COVID

Macau has been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the World Travel & Tourism Council, tourism is increasing in the self-governing city with a population of almost 700,000 9.2% of gross domestic product [Link to English].

Macau at a glance

  • Visitor record: 3.65 million visitors in November 2024
  • Major markets: Mainland China (2.75 million), Hong Kong (663,449)
  • Casinos and Tourism: Account for about 9.2% of GDP
  • Top Attractions: Historic Center, Portuguese Colonial Heritage, Iconic Casinos
  • Tourism promotion: subsidies for hotels and transport, new tourist routes
  • Competition: Thailand and Japan are developing their own gambling markets

While the city's casinos, unlike most other businesses at the start of the pandemic, remained open, according to CNN [Link to English], be a short time later also closed after a controversial decision [Link to English].

This decision was catastrophic for the city's financial situation. According to one study [Link to English] published in the academic journal Cities, attendance and casino revenue fell by 99.7% and 96.8%, respectively, in November 2020 compared to November 2020.

The most important growth engine of the last two decades. Almost came to a standstill as tourist flows dried up.”–International Monetary Fund, International Monetary Fund, CNN

After the end of the strict measures, the coastal city is also popular with high rollers, but recovered remarkably quickly. In 2023 they recorded 333% more sales than in 2022.

According to the Macau government, East Asia Forum [Link to English] took early proactive measures to stimulate tourism demand, in particular through collaboration with local businesses and the creation of new tourist routes. It can be assumed that these preparations have paved the way for a faster recovery after the lifting of travel restrictions. In addition, the Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) began initiating intensive advertising activities in the Greater Bay Area, which includes the metropolises of Guangdong, Shenzhen and Hong Kong, in the third quarter of 2022.

Threatening competition from other Asian countries

Macau, which has evolved over time from one Fishing village to a gambling metropolis developed, there is now a threat of competition from other Asian countries.

As some Southeast Asian countries are actively developing gambling, there will likely be competition for customers from these countries.” – Wang Changbin, chairman of the Center for Gaming and Tourism Studies at Macau Polytechnic University, Macau Business

Thailand is on the way to legalizing gambling. The promising market in the Southeast Asian country, which is very popular with tourists, has already attracted five of the largest gaming companies in the world who now want to invest there. Japan is also opening up to gambling and casinos, albeit still with teething problems.

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Author: Alex Morgan