Macau welcomed over 3.09 million visitors in April 2025, an 18.9 percent increase year-on-year, according to the city’s Statistics and Census Service (DSEC). Visitor arrivals for the first four months of the year totalled nearly 12.96 million, marking a 12.9 percent rise compared with the same period last year.
Mainland China continued to be . Arrivals from the mainland rose by 22.4 percent to 2.13 million in April. Among them, 1.06 million visitors travelled under the Individual Visit Scheme, a 34.1 percent increase. Additional segments included 149,359 using the “one trip per week” scheme, 43,278 under “multiple-entry”, and 18,015 through the “tourist group multi-entry” measure.
Growth from the Greater Bay Area remained strong, with 1.07 million visitors from the nine Pearl River Delta cities, a 34.5 percent year-on-year increase. Zhuhai stood out, posting a sharp 63 percent surge. Arrivals from Hong Kong rose by 13.4 percent to 659,844, while Taiwan visitor numbers increased by 4.4 percent to 76,721.
Macau GGR shows modest gains
As a result, Macau’s gaming industry also saw modest gains. Gross gaming revenue (GGR) for April reached MOP $18.86 billion (€2.21 billion), a 1.7 percent increase year-on-year. However, this figure was down 4.1 percent compared to March and marked the lowest monthly total since January.
For the first four months of 2025, total GGR stood at MOP $76.5 billion (approx. €8.96 billion), up 0.8 percent year-on-year. Analysts cite a slower-than-expected recovery in the base mass market and the impact of a government crackdown on illegal money exchange activities as contributing factors.
International arrivals totalled 230,014, up 10.4 percent compared with April 2024. Southeast Asian markets showed mixed performance. The Philippines led with 43,097 visitors (+20.2 percent), followed by Thailand with 20,463 (+24.1 percent) and Indonesia with 19,656 (+0.4 percent). However, arrivals from Malaysia and Singapore declined by 17.6 percent and 8.7 percent, respectively.
Record-breaking GGR in May?
Coming back to Macau, the prospect of revenue appears more promising in May. According to Citigroup, daily GGR averaged MOP $593 million (€69 million) from 12 May 2025 to 18 May 2025. Analysts maintain a monthly forecast of MOP $21 billion (€2.46 billion), up 4 percent year-on-year and reaching 81 percent of pre-COVID levels. A busy concert calendar, including performances by Sammi Cheng and Leon Lai, is also expected to boost visitation and high-value spending.
