Official figures released by the Statistics and Census Bureau (DSEC) show that Macau's hotel establishments welcomed approximately 1.28 million guests in July, setting a new record.
According to a statement from DSEC, the number of guests staying in 43,000 rooms across 132 hotels and guesthouses in Macau has more than quadrupled compared to the same month last year. This new record exceeds the monthly journal of almost 1.27 million guests set in August 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic. At that time, Macau had only 39,000 rooms across 119 hotel establishments.
Despite increased available accommodations, average occupancy in December 2022 reached its highest rate since December 2019 at 89% - a 50.2% increase from the same month in 2021.
The Macau Hotel Association, representing 43 local hotels, reported that the average price of hotel rooms in Macau tripled in July compared to the same period last year.
A Macao Government Tourism Office report showed that in July 2021, the average price was 1,425 patacas (about 163 euros), which is 5.1% higher than in July 2019, before the pandemic began.
Macau's tourism sector is recovering. Most prevention and containment measures in the territory were canceled in December, following mainland China's "zero covid" policy. Early this year, the Chinese region lifted a ban on all foreigners, including tourists, which had been in place for almost three years.
According to the latest data released by DSEC, between January and July 2023, Macau hotels and guesthouses received a total of 7.3 million guests, which is a 150.6% increase compared to the same period in the previous year. Furthermore, the average occupancy rate during this period was 79.6%, more than double the rate recorded between January and July 2022.