Information from the Statistics and Census Service indicated that
Macao registered 425,787 visitor arrivals in package tours in May
2008, up notably by 47.2% from a year earlier. Visitors from Mainland
China (278,879) and Hong Kong (32,068) grew by 47.5% and 45.7% year-on-year,
while those from Southeast Asia (50,074) surged by 216.8%. In the
first five months of 2008, visitors arrived in package tours rose
by 22.1% over the same period of 2007 to 2,073,363.
The number of Macao residents travelling outbound in package tours
in May 2008 increased by 20.1% year-on-year to 16,057. Mainland
China (69.5%), Thailand (8.2%) and Japan (6.9%) were the three most
popular tour itineraries. In the first five months of 2008, Macao
residents travelling in package tours rose by 11.5% over the same
period of 2007 to 86,416.
Meanwhile, 80,395 residents travelled outbound under individual
arrangements using services provided by travel agencies, an upsurge
of 233.6% over May 2007. Hong Kong (79.0%), Mainland China (9.3%)
and Taiwan, China (4.0%) were the major destinations. In the first
five months of 2008, Macao residents travelled under such arrangements
rose significantly by 60.9% year-on-year to 201,136.
At the end of May 2008, the total number of guest rooms available
in the hotel sector grew by 3,182 (+24.4%) from a year earlier to
16,234 rooms.
In May 2008, a total of 544,151 guests checked into hotels and
similar establishments, representing a year-on-year increase of
19.9%; the majority of the guests came from Mainland China (48.6%)
and Hong Kong (22.7%). The average hotel occupancy rate rose slightly
by 0.6 percentage point to 72.9%, with 4-star hotels leading at
77.5%; in addition, the average length of stay of hotel guests extended
by 0.1 night to 1.4 nights. Total number of hotel guests reached
2,697,570 in the first five months of 2008, up by 17.9% over the
same period of 2007.
In the first five months of 2008, visitor-guests staying in hotels
accounted for 43.1% of the total number of tourists, up from 42.7%
in the corresponding period of 2007.
Related information: Package
Tours and Hotel Occupancy Rate - May 2008