The number of people visiting Macau has fallen dramatically over the first three days of the Chinese New Year Golden Week holiday period, with just 30,413 visitor arrivals between Thursday and Saturday.
The figure represents an 80.8% decline than the same period last year and is almost 50% lower than the 58,345 visitors who arrived over the first three days of the October Golden Week.
Macao Government Tourism Office director Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes flagged expectations of between 16,000 and 20,000 visitor arrivals per day.
Instead, just 8,162 people arrived in Macau last Thursday and 9,058 on Friday before Saturday saw those numbers climb to 13,193.
Hopes of a strong Chinese New Year for Macau’s casino operators were dashed following a recent outbreak of COVID-19 in mainland China, which saw Beijing subsequently issue an advisory suggesting citizens avoid all unnecessary travel. Case numbers have declined significantly however, with no locally acquired cases reported over the last seven days.
Of those who did arrive in Macau during the first three days of Golden Week, 27,264 were from mainland China with 16,419 via the Border Gate and 6,401 via Hengqin Port.
Macau has now cancelled mandatory quarantine for arrivals from several areas across mainland China. As of 14 February, the SAR still requires quarantine for anyone that has been to the following areas in the past 14 days:
Hebei Province: All of Shijiazhuang City, Nangong City.
Beijing City: Tiangongyuan Subdistrict of Daxing District.
Heilongjiang Province: Suihua City, Xiangfang District, Daoli District, Daowai District, Limin Development Zone, Hulan District, Nangang District of Harbin City.
Jilin Province: All of Tonghua city, Fanjiatun Town of Gongzhuling City.
Shanghai City: Gaodong Town in Pudong New Area.
