Macau's tourism industry recovered in 2023, with tourist numbers returning to 71.6 percent of pre-pandemic levels.
According to data from the Bureau of Statistics and Census, Macau received 28.2 million visitors, compared to 39.4 million in 2019, VisaGuide.World reported.
Macau also remains a major source market in China, with over 19 million visitors recorded in 2023, accounting for 67.5% of the total. In addition, the increase in the number of visitors reached his 273.1%, and the number of visitors traveling under the personal visit system reached his 273.1%. 10.6 million people, an increase of 532.3%.
Major developments in China's tourism industry include Hong Kong, which accounted for 25.5 percent of the total number of visitors and reached 7.1 million visitors, an increase of 1,301.5 percent compared to the 2022 level .
In addition, Macau will see the return of overseas tourists in 2023, with the number of arrivals reaching 1.4 million in 2023, and the number of overseas visitors increased by 10,589.7 percent.
As the Moody Davitt report shows, mainland China's positive recovery from the coronavirus pandemic has reached 68.2%, while Hong Kong has seen a 97.8% recovery in tourist numbers.
December saw an extraordinary spike in tourist arrivals to Macau, with 2.9 million tourists arriving, a staggering 656% increase year-on-year. Arrivals from mainland China accounted for the majority at 1.9 million, a jump of 483%.
Despite a resurgence in tourism, Macau's retail sector faced challenges. Luxury retailers saw spending soften due to China's economic downturn and preference for non-shopping attractions.
Retail sales fell 5.9 percent in the third quarter of this year, with department stores and leather goods down 12.2 percent and 10.6 percent, respectively. The sales volume index also fell by 6.5%.
Compared to the third quarter of 2023, approximately 41.8 percent of retailers expected weaker performance in the fourth quarter, 41.7 percent expected stable performance, and 16.5 percent expected a good outlook.
However, interest in Chinese gastronomy is on the rise, as food changes in China increased by 18% compared to the previous quarter. This rate is even higher compared to the same period last year, increasing by 439.9 percent. Meanwhile, as a cumulative result, interest in these products increased by 346.6 percent during this period.
In general, all cumulative retail sales were positive except for communications equipment, which was down 21.2%, and supermarkets, which was down 3.9%.
