The Macao Government Tourism Office says Macau welcomed its highest single day visitor tally in more than a month on Friday following the easing of border restrictions with neighboring Zhuhai last week.
According to figures supplied by the Public Security Police Force, there were 25,252 visitor arrivals on 22 October, the most since Zhuhai imposed a requirement on 25 September for all people entering from Macau to undergo 14 days of mandatory quarantine. That requirement was dropped on Tuesday 19 October after the SAR successfully quashed a small outbreak of COVID-19.
The MGTO said visitor numbers have indicated a “steady rebound” since last week.
“Once the pandemic control and prevention measures at the ports of entry between Zhuhai and Macau were loosened from 12 noon on 19 October, the number of visitors immediately rebounded to nearly 14,000 in a single day,” the MGTO said.
“Single-day visitor arrivals even exceeded 20,000 on 20 October and stayed above the level afterwards. The city recorded 25,252 visitor arrivals [on Friday] … a new highest record since the city entered the state of immediate prevention.”
In more positive news for Macau, Beijing also cancelled mandatory quarantine measures on arrivals from the SAR on Sunday, although it still requires anyone travelling there from Macau to have obtained a negative virus test result within 48 hours of departure.
There are now no cities in mainland China requiring arrivals from Macau to quarantine.
However, there are fresh concerns in mainland China over a new outbreak, believed to have originated in Inner Mongolia, that has already spread to 11 provinces. More than 100 cases have been detected over the past week.
Chinese state-run news agency Xinhua reported Sunday that mainland authorities have called for a tightening of COVID-19 prevention and control measures around the culture and tourism industry, specifically the suspension of tourist train operations and strict limits on tour group sizes.
Macau has also reduced the validity period of COVID-19 tests from 7 days to 48 hours for anyone arriving from mainland China by plane.
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