written and last updated by
Sam Smith at
11 Apr 2023
Journalist, Editorial Department
According to the Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO), approximately 4.96 million people visited the region in the first three months of 2023. Local casinos are experiencing a surge in tourist numbers, primarily from mainland China, following the reopening of borders.
The demand for visits to the Special Administrative Region continues to recover, approaching pre-pandemic levels. In comparison, the total number of travelers in 2021 and 2022 was 7.7 million and 5.7 million, respectively, making the latest statistics quite encouraging. It is important to note that after a significant COVID-19 outbreak and the implementation of China's "zero COVID" policy, Macao's borders and its casino resorts were temporarily closed.
From January to March 2023, 60% of visitors to the enclave came from mainland China, while approximately 30% were from Hong Kong, and the remaining 10% hailed from Taiwan and other countries. Despite the open borders, any tourist not from China, Taiwan, or Hong Kong is required to present a negative COVID-19 test to gain entry.
Monthly breakdowns of visitor numbers revealed that March saw the highest influx, with 1.98 million arrivals. February welcomed around 1.59 million tourists, while January recorded approximately 1.39 million.
As the number of visitors increased, so did the gross revenue of local casinos. In January, revenue reached about $1.4 billion (116.04 billion rubles). In the shorter month of February, it was around $1.3 billion (107.75 billion rubles), and in March, revenue climbed to $1.6 billion (132.62 billion rubles). Notably, monthly gaming activity hit its highest level. The total casino revenue for the first quarter of this year amounted to $4.3 billion (356.42 billion rubles), still below the $9.4 billion (779.15 billion rubles) recorded during the same period in 2019.
Despite the positive trends in visitor numbers and revenue, local policies are also influencing the future of the enclave's casinos. The Macao government has previously mandated that operators collectively invest at least $13.5 billion (over 1 trillion rubles) in non-gaming projects. This initiative aims to reduce the region's economic dependence on gambling. Compliance with this requirement may result in fewer VIP players visiting Macao.
Additionally, it is worth noting that Melco casinos in Macao have opened gaming areas exclusively for foreign visitors.
