Macau saw 227,113 visitors cross its border in August, a substantial improvement over July numbers but still 93.7% down compared with the same month in 2019.
According to information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC), there were just 156,481 same-day visitors and 70,632 overnight visitors in August, reflecting the 94.5% decline in gross gaming revenues reported by the Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau.
However, the numbers suggested at least some light at the end of the COVID-19 tunnel, up 206.9% compared with July visitation due to the easing of some border restrictions between Macau and mainland China.
Authorities reinstated the Individual Visit Scheme (IVS) for residents of Zhuhai on 12 August, with further expansion of IVS for all of Guangdong Province from 26 August onwards suggesting ongoing improvement through September.
Of the 227,113 visitors to enter Macau in August, 200,833 were from mainland China.
For the first eight months of 2020 combined, visitor arrivals are down 87.0% year-on-year to 3,570,019.
Meanwhile, the Public Security Force has revealed that around 11,900 visitors arrived in Macau on Sunday 20 September, down 28.8% compared with the previous day.
The Macau SAR Government is considering reviewing its COVID-19 preventive measures after the October “Golden Week” in order to adapt to an expected increase in visitors from the nationwide IVS resumption starting 23 September.
