Macau hotels optimistic about the future, believes the worst has passed

During the first two days of the long weekend in May, the number of tourist arrivals finally hit record highs since the beginning of the pandemic  

As reported in Macau Daily Times, Macau’s hotel industry believes the worst time has passed since general hotel occupancy hit levels of between 80 to 90 percent during the May 1 holidays, boosting industry confidence, said Cheung Kin Chung, president of Macau Hoteliers & Innkeepers Association.  

Macau saw 44,000 tourists arrive on its first day of the long weekend in May, while the city saw 41,000 arrivals on the previous day, marking two record highs during the pandemic.  

Cheung recalled that before the five-day holiday period in Mainland China began, the booking rate had already spiked by 70 percent, suggesting a higher occupancy rate during the holidays.  

He anticipates a fast recovery for the industry, explaining that as the pandemic has focused on Mainland Chinese for domestic travel, tourists from the north of Macau tend to reside longer in the city.  

Moreover, as tourists flood into the city, the catering industry has also benefitted immensely. Fong Kin Fu, vice chairman of the council at The United Association of Food and Beverage Merchants of Macao, said that Macau’s restaurants and eateries only saw increases from the third day of the holiday period. 

Fong credited this optimism to the competitive packages offered by hotels to extend the stay of visitors. 

Lam Tong Hou, a representative of The Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO), expected the mass tourist arrivals during the five-day May Day Holiday to exceed that of previous Golden Weeks. 

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According to MGTO’s data, this year’s seven-day Spring Festival Golden Week in February saw 90,615 tourists, 65.3 percent lower from the same period in 2020 regarding the tally of average daily visitors. 

Ma Chio Hong, head of the Division of Operation and Communications of the Public Security Police Force (PSP), said May 4 and 5 were expected to be the peak for travelers leaving Macau and for returnees, especially at border points between Zhuhai and Macau.  

As of 5 p.m. on May 4, Macau received over 200,000 people in daily people traffic, which includes those entering and departing from Macau.