CHINA (MACAU). Multiple COVID-19 outbreaks on the Mainland and related travel restrictions prompted a -30.2% year-on-year slump in March visitor arrivals to the travel retail hotspot of Macau, according to the Macao Government Tourism Office.
Due to ongoing strict travel restrictions into Macau, almost all the arrivals (89%) were from Mainland China. Visitor numbers from the Mainland decreased by -31.9% year-on-year to 468,995. The number of hotel guests in March fell -41.3% year-on-year to 365,000 with Mainland guests (269,000) down by -50.2%, The Macau Daily Times reported.
For the first quarter, total arrivals (91.7% of them from Mainland China) increased by +8.0% to 1,876,847.
While some of its key traveller source markets struggle with the pandemic, Macau continues to keep COVID at bay. As of 1 May, it had seen just 82 confirmed local cases since the crisis began and no deaths, the same number as on 29 March (our last report).
