The National Day “Golden Week” holiday is off to a flying start in Macau, with the local tourism sector recording robust growth. According to preliminary data released by the Macao Government Tourism Office, total visitor arrivals reached 169,635 on the first day of the holiday (October 1), marking a sharp 22.3% year-on-year increase and highlighting strong market recovery momentum.
Mainland China continues to be the primary growth driver. Inbound visitors from the mainland surged 26.1% year-on-year to 147,013, accounting for nearly 86% of total arrivals on day one. Hong Kong visitors also maintained steady growth, rising 8.6% year-on-year to 15,857 arrivals, contributing to a reliable flow of cross-border travelers.
Land checkpoints remained the preferred route for travelers entering the city. The Border Gate post recorded the highest volume with 82,606 visitor-trips, followed by the Hengqin Port with 37,091 visitor-trips, and the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge (Macau Port) in third with 21,016 visitor-trips. Meanwhile, air and sea transport effectively assisted in handling passenger traffic, with Macau International Airport and the Taipa Ferry Terminal recording 8,242 and 7,303 arrivals, respectively. Despite heavy crowds across all boundary crossings, immigration controls operated smoothly under close inter-departmental coordination.
The strong opening day performance has set a positive tone for the holiday season. Visitor influx is expected to remain high through the mid-week peak, providing a significant boost to local hospitality and retail sectors.
