Macau Records 1.14 Million Visitors During Seven-Day October Golden Week

Macau recorded approximately 1.14 million visitor arrivals during mainland China's seven-day National Day Golden Week holiday from October 1 to October 7, with daily arrivals averaging around 163,000.

The total represents a strong increase in visitor traffic compared with the corresponding period last year. The daily average was approximately 15.5% higher year on year, according to provisional immigration data released by Macau authorities.

Visitor arrivals reached their highest level on October 4, when 210,276 people entered Macau. The figure established a new single-day record for the National Day Golden Week period.

Visitor traffic was strongest during the first part of the holiday before easing towards its conclusion. Arrivals averaged approximately 175,000 per day during the first six days, while the seven-day average fell to around 163,000 following a weaker final day.

The October 1-7 holiday period coincided with the mainland Chinese National Day holiday, traditionally one of Macau's busiest tourism periods. Authorities had prepared for elevated visitor volumes through additional tourism promotion, coordination with mainland authorities and enhanced monitoring of visitor flows.

The Border Gate was the principal entry point for visitors during the holiday, followed by Hengqin Port. Other major entry points included the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge and the Qingmao border crossing.

The latest figures add to the strong visitor recovery recorded by Macau following the pandemic. Tourism activity has become increasingly important to the territory's economic performance, with the gaming sector continuing to depend heavily on visitor volumes and spending.

The increase in visitor arrivals, however, does not directly translate into an equivalent increase in gaming revenue. Macau's gaming operators generate revenue from a combination of mass-market casino play, premium mass, VIP activity and non-gaming spending, with visitor composition and individual spending levels also affecting casino performance.

Macau recorded 39.41 million visitor arrivals during 2025, exceeding the previous pre-pandemic annual record of 39.4 million arrivals recorded in 2019. Gross gaming revenue for 2025 reached MOP247.4 billion, an increase of 9.1% from the previous year.

The Golden Week figures also come after a period of strong visitor activity around the Mid-Autumn Festival. When the September 25-27 Mid-Autumn Festival holiday is combined with the October 1-7 National Day period, Macau received approximately 1.87 million visitor arrivals between September 25 and October 7.

The concentration of visitors during major mainland holidays remains significant for Macau's tourism and gaming sectors. Hotels, restaurants, retail businesses, entertainment venues and casinos typically experience increased demand during these periods.

Macau's tourism authorities had undertaken preparations ahead of Golden Week, including cooperation with mainland tourism authorities and travel platforms, publication of hotel accommodation information and monitoring of visitor flows at major tourist attractions.

The authorities also encouraged visitors to use real-time visitor-flow information when planning trips to help distribute traffic across different attractions and periods.

The seven-day holiday generated approximately 5.25 million total passenger movements through Macau's border checkpoints, including arrivals and departures. The figure includes residents and other travellers in addition to visitors.

The latest visitor data remains provisional and is based on information supplied by Macau's Public Security Police Force.

The 1.14 million arrivals recorded during Golden Week provide another indication of sustained tourism demand from mainland China and other markets, while the record daily arrival figure on October 4 marked the strongest single-day visitor flow recorded during a National Day holiday in Macau.

By fLEXI tEAM