The number of visitors entering Macau each day has crept past 20,000, while hotel occupancy has climbed to around 40%, as the SAR’s recovery from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The improved numbers were revealed by Macao Government Tourism Office director Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, who said she expected those numbers to keep growing given the effects of October Golden Week – where daily visitor numbers reached a high of 22,500 – were not long past. The latest update takes into account an uptick seen by authorities over the past few days.
Macau’s hotel occupancy rate was just 16.4% in September, however analysts this week stated that gross gaming revenue through October was showing a clear upward trajectory with GGR for the month expected to fall by around 73% year-on-year compared with declines of 90% or more in each of the past six months.
Las Vegas Sands – operator of The Venetian Macao, The Parisian Macao, Sands Cotai Central, Four Seasons and Sands Macao – stated in its earnings call last week that it had started recording slightly positive EBITDA this month following heavy losses in the second and third quarters.
The positive news comes as Macau announced Wednesday that it would no longer require visitors arriving from Qingdao city in Shandong Province to undergo 14-day quarantine.
Qingdao, which recently suffered a small outbreak, has noted record any community transmitted COVID-19 cases since 13 October, with the local authority having conducted virus tests for the whole city. It is now considered a low risk area.
Senna Fernandes also revealed Wednesday that the MGTO was maintaining communications with China’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism over the prospect of allowing more package group tours to visit Macau. A suspension on such tours was recently extended.
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