The government expects to conclude 2023 with more than 27 million visitor arrivals for the year, according to a local media report.
The projection requires Macao to bring in five million additional visitors across November and December. If the total is reached, it would mean the city has recovered 68.5 percent of the tourism tally for 2019, which came in at 39.4 million.
The upcoming Macau Grand Prix – taking place this month – may help get the prediction over the line. Tourism authorities have expressed confidence that the city’s hotels will be 90 percent full during the two-weekend event.
[See more: The government has proposed a budget to lure foreign tourists to Macao]
Macao welcomed 22 million tourists in the first 10 months of the year, according to preliminary figures from the Macau Government Tourism Office. August has been the best performing month to date, with 3.2 million visitor arrivals.
Earlier this month, the government proposed earmarking 235 million patacas of its 2024 budget for attracting foreign tourists.
The move is part of its bid to wean Macao off its dependence on the mainland Chinese gaming market, with potential seen in the travel markets of Southeast and Northeast Asia.
