Macau, China, May 16, 2025 – The average spending by each visitor to the Chinese region of Macau, excluding expenditures in casinos, dropped by 13.2% in the first quarter of the year compared to the same period in 2024, according to an announcement today.
The Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) reported that tourists’ non-gaming expenditure per capita was 1,989 patacas (less than 221 euros) between January and March.
Official data indicated that the primary reason for the decline was an increase in the proportion of visitors arriving on organized tours who spent less than a day in Macau.
During the first three months of the year, these day-trippers constituted about 59% of all tourists entering the city, compared to less than 54% during the same period in 2024.
These visitors spent only 729 patacas per capita (less than 81 euros), a decrease of 10.8% from January to March of the previous year, while tourists staying at least one night in Macau spent 3,807 patacas (almost 423 euros), down by 5.4%.
Nevertheless, the overall decline in non-gaming visitor spending was lesser, at 3.6%, totaling 19.6 billion patacas (2.18 billion euros) due to the increase in the number of tourists, which “mitigated part of the decrease,” stated the DSEC.
Macau welcomed 9.86 million visitors from January to March, a rise of 11.1% compared to the same period in 2024, marking the second-highest number ever for the start of a year.
“Visitor numbers are increasing, but their spending levels are declining,” warned Macau’s government leader, Sam Hou Fai, on Tuesday.
The executive head of the region cited “a shift in consumption patterns and visitation style,” noting that “younger visitors have their own way of experiencing tourism, leading to different experiences.”
Earlier, on May 2, the DSEC highlighted the “change in visitor spending patterns” as a key factor contributing to the 1.3% decline in Macau’s economy from January to March.
This marked the first contraction in the territory’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) on a year-on-year basis since the end of 2022, when the region began lifting COVID-19 pandemic-related restrictions.
The economic benefit from tourism services—the sector that dominates Macau’s economy—dropped by 3.8% in the first quarter of the year.
In mid-April, Sam Hou Fai noted that “savings had increased” in mainland China—Macau’s largest source of tourists—despite the country experiencing deflation (annual decrease in consumer prices) for three consecutive months.
The government leader argued that these data indicate that the Chinese population has “a sense of risk,” which has persisted since before the onset of the trade war initiated by the United States with China.
Sam Hou Fai acknowledged that tariffs might lead visitors to spend less, especially if there is a depreciation of the renminbi, the currency of mainland China.
