Macau’s Government Tourism Office (MGTO) reported on 4 October that inbound visitor arrivals reached 540,549 from 1–3 October, averaging 180,183 per day—27.4 percent higher than the same Golden-Week period last year. Mainland Chinese accounted for 86.5 percent of the total; Hong Kong residents made up 9.5 percent. Crowds triggered temporary pedestrian-flow controls around the UNESCO-listed Historic Centre on 3 October, yet casino resort operators said hotel occupancy exceeded 95 percent without major service disruptions. Analysts at JP Morgan now forecast gross gaming revenue of MOP 9.8 billion (USD 1.2 billion) for October—16 percent above their pre-holiday estimate. Beyond gaming, the surge benefits convention business: the Macau Trade and Investment Promotion Institute noted that three exhibitions scheduled for 5–8 October have sold out booth space, largely to Mainland start-ups taking advantage of the visa-free entry for stays under seven days. Corporate travel planners should, however, brace for tight seat inventory on return flights and ferries between 6–8 October. MGTO advises groups to confirm hotel bookings with a second credit-card guarantee and to use the online “Real-Time Border Wait-Time” dashboard before choosing which checkpoint—Gongbei, Hengqin or the LRT-connected Cotai frontier—to exit.
Source: The Macau Shimbun
