Visitor arrivals pass 10 million mark

In the first five months of this year, visitor arrivals surpassed 10 million, up 21.45 per cent over the same period last year, according to the Director of the Macao Government Tourist Office (MGTO) João Manuel Costa Antunes.

Mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan continue to be the three largest visitor markets into Macau, with growths of 19.44 per cent, 23.21 per cent and 1.93 per cent, respectively. Malaysia is the fourth largest market. As a whole, the Southeast Asian market has also grown significantly, up 68.3 per cent over the same period in 2006, according to MGTO statistics.

Antunes said diversification is key for Macau as it moves forward, and improved access into and out of Macau essential to help ensure Macau receives tourists from around the world. He said the MGTO would work more closely with airlines in future, to encourage more visitors to fly directly into Macau while expanding its source markets and visitor portfolio. MGTO is developing new and potential international markets including Indonesia, Vietnam, Russia and the Middle East.