The semi-autonomous Chinese region saw its tourism numbers peak early in 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic, recording nearly 10.4 million visitors during the first quarter of that year.
Data from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that approximately 59% of these visitors, totaling 5.82 million, arrived on organized tours and spent less than a day in the city.
In 2024, central government measures were announced to support Macau. These included raising the duty-free limit on personal-use goods purchased by Chinese visitors.
Additionally, the Chinese authorities expanded the list of cities with “individual visas” for visiting Hong Kong and Macau to include 10 more Chinese cities.
Furthermore, since January 1, residents of the adjacent city of Zhuhai can now visit Macau weekly and stay for up to seven days.
As a result, a vast majority—90.8%—of tourists to Macau in the first quarter came from mainland China or Hong Kong.
However, international visitor numbers saw a more rapid growth, rising by 16.9% compared to the first quarter of 2024, reaching over 682,000.
This figure, however, represents a 20.3% decline compared to the same period in 2019, before the COVID-19 outbreak.
On April 10, Macau’s Director of Tourism Services, Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, stated that the focus for 2025 will remain on “attracting international tourists,” by participating in foreign trade fairs and organizing local events.
Senna Fernandes noted that Macau will host the semiannual meeting of the European Confederation of Travel Agents’ Associations and Tour Operators in June, and the annual congress of the Portuguese Association of Travel and Tourism Agencies (APAVT) in December.
The APAVT is also coordinating a European delegation, comprising “about 20 people,” to attend the 13th Macau International Tourism (Industry) Expo (MITE) from April 25 to 27, according to Senna Fernandes.
Portugal will have its own stand at the MITE, which will, for the first time, include a “Coffee Station” section to “highlight the characteristics of Portuguese-speaking countries,” Senna Fernandes stated.
In August, Senna Fernandes set a target of more than three million international visitors by 2025.
Last year, Macau welcomed 34.9 million visitors, an increase of 23.8% over the previous year, though still short of the record 39.4 million set in 2019 before the pandemic.
