Macau expects strong hotel occupancy during October's Golden Week, exceeding pre-pandemic levels

Luis Heredia, President of the Macau Hotel Association, expressed expectations that hotel occupancy rates in Macau will not only match but surpass pre-pandemic levels during the upcoming National Day Golden Week.

“We are very optimistic, hoping that all conditions are favorable for travel, and the hotels are ready to welcome tourists and provide quality services," Heredia said in an interview with Macau News Agency (MNA), as reported by Macau Business.

Wong Suk Yan, Chair of the association, also provided insights to local media, stating that casino resorts in the Cotai area are poised to achieve full occupancy during the festive period. Hotels situated on the Macau Peninsula are expected to achieve occupancy rates ranging from 60 percent to 70 percent, the report said.

Regarding hotel room pricing, budget hotels are anticipated to offer rates within the range of MOP1500 ($186.18) to MOP 2000 ($248.24), while larger gaming resorts are expected to have rates ranging from MOP3000 ($372.36) to MOP4,000 ($496.48).

In a recent report from J.P. Morgan, analysts expressed assurance that local casino resort rooms will experience full bookings once more during the upcoming National Day Golden Week, consistent with historical patterns.

The Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) has forecasted a daily average of over 100,000 tourist arrivals in the Special Administrative Region (SAR) for that period.

Macau experienced a notable surge in visitor arrivals in August, according to data released by the Statistics and Census Bureau (DSEC). The figures revealed that 3,221,691 (3.2 million) visitors arrived during August, marking the highest monthly count since the same month in 2019.

This development is particularly significant as it represents the first time since December 2019 that Macau has hosted over three million tourists in a single month, before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

An earlier report by the Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau (DICJ) said Macau casinos' gross gaming revenue (GGR) increased by more than 686% in August from the previous year to MOP17.2 billion patacas ($2.17 billion). August's total was also up from the GGR posted in July, which stood at MOP16.7 billion ($2.1 billion).

The figures represent about 71% of pre-pandemic levels, driven by increased tourism levels during the summer vacation period. The city reported 2.8 million visitor arrivals in July, which has returned to 78% of pre-Covid levels, according to the latest official data.