New tourist's profile

 dez25

I think the industry has evolved beyond simply offering a bed, a good night’s sleep, and breakfast. Guests now want a deeper, more meaningful experience. That is what we aim to provide — from the pre-arrival stage, understanding their itinerary, to organising anything they may need in advance. With our butler service and other specialised offerings, we ensure that these personalised services play an important role in their stay.

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While Macau is on track to receive a record 40 million visitors in 2025, the surge in visitor numbers has not translated into proportional economic gains. Tourists are spending less than in previous years, prompting calls for a strategic pivot: attracting more overnight and international visitors, investing in concerts and entertainment events, encouraging businesses to offer distinctive, high-value experiences, among others.

On a late August afternoon, Ms Chen from Fujian province in Mainland China posed for selfies with friends in front of the Ruins of St Paul’s, one of Macau’s most iconic landmarks. It was her first time in the city, and she was keen to capture the moment. “We don’t have a fixed itinerary and we don’t have much time,” she said. “We’re just walking around, trying some local food and taking photos.”

Aside from meals and snacks, however, Ms Chen had no plans to spend significantly. “We’ll check out some cosmetics shops, pharmacies and souvenir stores to see if anything catches our eye,” she added. “But we can buy similar things online, often at the same or even lower prices.”

Her attitude reflects a broader shift in Macau’s post-Covid tourism landscape. As the city welcomes a growing influx of visitors, with the potential to break its all-time annual record of 40 million, it is facing a new paradox: more people, less spending.

According to the latest government figures, Macau received 22.68 million visitors in the first seven months of 2025, up 14.9 per cent year-on-year and just under 5 per cent below the same period in 2019, the last record-setting year when 39.41 million tourists arrived.

Momentum appears to have accelerated in recent months. Preliminary data suggest that 7.68 million tourists visited the city in July and August, a 15 per cent increase from last summer and a 7.4 per cent rise compared to the same period in 2019. If this pace continues, Macau is on track to welcome 40.13 million visitors in 2025, surpassing both the 2019 peak and the government’s projection of 38 to 39 million.

In a recent interview with local media, Davis Fong Ka Chio, director of the Institute for the Study of Commercial Gaming at the University of Macau, said he is confident the city will break its previous record, as more events and activities are scheduled for the second half of the year, which will further boost arrivals.

Macau’s tourism revival has also been fuelled by the broader post-pandemic recovery across regional economies, as well as increased investment in infrastructure and non-gaming attractions by both the government and gaming operators, he added

“In light of the visa relaxations [earlier this year], there’s also been a sharp rise in same-day travellers, particularly from Zhuhai, who tend to spend less as they can often travel to Macau.”


Macau scholar Zeng Zhonglu

Declining spending

While foot traffic is rising, the economic impact on the local community appears more muted. Despite the double-digit growth in arrivals, non-gaming expenditure of visitors rose only 2 per cent year-on-year in the first half of 2025, reaching MOP37.87 billion (US$4.72 billion). More tellingly, per capita tourist spending dropped 12.3 per cent year-on-year to MOP1,950 in the second quarter, marking the eighth consecutive quarterly decline.

Analysts and industry stakeholders point to several factors behind the declining spending power of tourists in Macau: economic uncertainties both at home and abroad, shifting consumption patterns, and a rising proportion of day-trippers, who typically spend less than overnight visitors.

“Given the current softness in the mainland economy, we’re seeing a notable shift towards more cautious spending among mainland visitors,” said Zeng Zhonglu, a Macau-based scholar specialising in gaming and tourism. Mainland Chinese travellers continue to make up the lion’s share of the city’s tourism market.

According to Mr Zeng, the fastest-growing segments among Macau’s visitors in 2025 are those under the age of 15 and over 55, demographics generally associated with lower discretionary spending, as the city is attracting more family travellers in the post-Covid era. For instance, visitors under the age of 15 accounted for about 7.3 per cent of total arrivals in the first seven months of 2025, with that figure rising to 11.5 per cent in July alone and representing a significant increase from just 5.9 per cent in 2019.

“In light of the visa relaxations [earlier this year], there’s also been a sharp rise in same-day travellers, particularly from Zhuhai, who tend to spend less as they can often travel to Macau,” he added.

Indeed, visitation growth in 2025 has largely been driven by day-trippers, following the introduction of more flexible visa policies for mainland Chinese tourists. For example, residents of Zhuhai can now apply for weekly travel permits to Macau, while those in Hengqin are eligible for multiple-entry visas.

In the first seven months of the year, the number of same-day visitors surged by 25.5 per cent year-on-year to 13.16 million, compared with a modest 2.8 per cent increase in overnight visitors, who numbered 9.5 million over the same period. Same-day travellers now account for 58 per cent of total arrivals — and if this trend holds, 2025 will mark the highest annual proportion of day-trippers since such data became available in 2008.

Unique offerings

Lei Cheok Kuan, chairperson of the Industry and Commerce Federation of the Macau Central and Southern District, warned that the influx of cost-conscious tourists is already taking a toll on local businesses. “On paper, the visitor numbers look impressive, but once you step into the community, it’s a different story,” he said. “We’ve seen a drop in consumer spending across local merchants since the beginning of the year, not just in tourist districts but in residential areas as well.”

“Summer is usually the peak season for spending, yet many members of our association reported that their turnover fell by between 10 and 20 per cent year-on-year this summer,” he noted. “The overall market sentiment is sluggish, especially among small and medium-sized enterprises.”

Still, Mr Lei acknowledged that not all businesses are faring poorly. Some continue to enjoy robust sales and long queues, highlighting the importance of adapting to changing consumer behaviour, particularly among tourists. “Adjusting your business model doesn’t mean switching from selling food to clothing,” he explained. “It’s about adding new or innovative elements to existing products or services, creating something unique that resonates with today’s tourists, whose spending habits have clearly evolved in the post-Covid era.”

According to government data, visitor per capita spending in Macau remains heavily tilted towards shopping, which accounted for 41.5 per cent of the total in the second quarter of 2025. While still the largest category, this marks a decline from 47.1 per cent in the same period last year and 44.8 per cent in the pre-Covid era. Accommodation made up 24.9 per cent of visitor per capita spending, while food and beverages represented 22.5 per cent.

“We’re seeing a clear trend towards younger visitors coming to Macau, and they tend to favour experiential spending over simply purchasing whatever is available,” said Andy Wu Keng Kuong, president of the Travel Industry Council of Macau.

“The biggest challenge for the local community going forward is how to translate rising visitor numbers into actual spending,” he added. “Tourists today are looking for something distinctive. It’s not enough for merchants to offer standardised and similar products: they need to personalise and differentiate their offerings in ways that younger travellers see as ‘worth spending on’.

“We’ve seen a drop in consumer spending across local merchants since the beginning of the year, not just in tourist districts but in residential areas as well.”


Lei Cheok Kuan, chairperson of the Industry and Commerce Federation of the Macau Central and Southern District

Overnight visitors and day trippers

Given the stark contrast in per capita spending between same-day visitors and overnight guests — MOP673 versus MOP3,663 in the second quarter — Mr Wu believes the city should invest more in concerts and entertainment events to attract overnight visitors with high spending power. “After all, these tourists are willing to spend big on concert tickets. If they find something special, they’re likely to spend more across the board,” he added.

A breakdown of visitor per capita spending by purpose of travel in the first half of the year reveals that attendees of MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions) events in Macau were the highest spenders (MOP4,242). This was followed by those attending concerts, performances and competitions (MOP4,161), and visitors primarily interested in shopping (MOP2,583).

“It’s not enough for merchants to offer standardised and similar products: they need to personalise and differentiate their offerings in ways that younger travellers see as ‘worth spending on’.”


Andy Wu Keng Kuong, president of the Travel Industry Council of Macau.

Efforts in drawing overseas visitation

Boosting international arrivals can be another crucial lever to increase tourist spending in the city, as they tend to stay longer in Macau. Attracting foreign visitors has actually been a key objective for both the Macau government and gaming operators in recent times. Yet progress has been tepid. In the first seven months of 2025, the city welcomed nearly 1.52 million overseas visitors, a 13.3 per cent year-on-year increase, but still only 77.2 per cent of 2019 levels.

“Globally, international tourist arrivals in 2024 have already recovered to 99 per cent of 2019 figures, and surpassed the pre-Covid levels so far this year,” Mr Zeng, the gaming and tourism scholar, noted. “Neighbouring markets around Macau have also seen international tourism rebound to near or even above pre-pandemic levels, yet Macau’s performance remains underwhelming.”

This underperformance, he suggested, may stem from a persistent lack of insight into overseas source markets. To more effectively implement an international tourism strategy, he believes the Macau government should allocate greater resources towards systematic studies of potential international markets — including their economic trends, outbound travel behaviour, and destination preferences — to tailor offerings accordingly.

“Countries with limited economic means may not be viable target markets for Macau, given their residents’ lower spending power,” he said. “At the same time, travellers from more distant destinations are less likely to be drawn to Macau due to geographic and logistical barriers.”

Tourism carrying capacity

While Macau’s surging visitor numbers have yet to fully translate into increased spending power or tangible economic benefits for the local community, they have nonetheless begun to strain the city’s infrastructure and tourism carrying capacity. It’s a challenge that affects not only the tourism sector but also the daily lives of residents.

Despite the mounting pressure, public sentiment seems broadly positive. Prof Davis Fong noted that local residents continue to show support for the city’s tourism recovery, as a recent survey underscores. In the Top 10 Destinations for Chinese Outbound Tourist Satisfaction 2024, published by the China Tourism Academy, Macau topped the list for the first time. The city received the highest scores in the categories of “entertainment and leisure” and “attitude of residents”.

Beyond public sentiment, the academic argued that Macau must now focus on expanding its tourism capacity to accommodate continued growth. “Enhancing capacity doesn’t necessarily mean increasing land area,” he explained. “It means unlocking underutilised zones and creating new offerings. There’s still room for development in Cotai and other areas to draw visitors away from congested hotspots, not to mention the potential of newly reclaimed urban zones over the next few years.”

A similar view is shared by Wong Fai, president of the Macau Leisure Tourism Services Innovation Association. “While rising visitor numbers inevitably pose challenges to Macau’s carrying capacity, the city has made significant infrastructure improvements in recent years,” he said. “Border facilities have been further optimised, making cross-boundary travel seamless even during peak seasons.”

However, transportation remains one of the city’s most pressing bottlenecks. An overcrowded public bus system, a shortage of taxis, and the limited coverage of the Light Rapid Transit (LRT) network continue to frustrate both tourists and locals. One possible solution is to explore the introduction of ride-hailing services in Macau, which could improve tourist mobility and enhance overall carrying capacity, Mr Wong remarked.

He also pointed to the potential of Hengqin. “Macau can take advantage of its proximity to Hengqin to ease the burden on its carrying capacity, particularly in areas like hotel accommodation,” he added.

https://macaubusiness.com/boom-without-bounty/