In July, Macau reported close to 2.8 million tourists, nearing its 3.5 million benchmark set in the same month of 2019, before the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, as per the latest official data.
The figures for July showed a 24.9% increase from the previous month, with 2,759,544 tourists entering Macau.
Out of these, the majority, totaling 1.9 million, came from mainland China.
Comparing year-over-year figures, Macau has received 14.4 million tourists this year, which is a decline from 23.8 million during the corresponding period in 2019.
Since Macau, like China, had adopted a strict ‘zero covid’ strategy, by mid-December, it had gradually begun lifting most of its preventive and containment measures following almost three years of stringent restrictions.
Consequently, the region reopened its borders to all international travelers, including tourists, from January 8.
Based on official statistics for the first half of the year, Macau’s authorities stated on Sunday that the region had become the top travel choice for mainland China residents.
An external tourism report for H1 2023, released by China’s Tourism Academy, highlighted that destinations like Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan accounted for 80% of preferred travel spots by mainland Chinese in the said period.
Impressively, Macau led the chart with a 50% share.