Macau, China, Mar. 2, 2026 (Lusa) - Macau received 3.65 million visitors in January, the highest figure ever for the first month, despite the Lunar New Year falling in February, it announced on Monday.
According to the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC), the number of tourists visiting the territory was only 767 higher than in the same period in 2025.
Still, it was enough to be the highest figure for any January since the DSEC began compiling monthly data in 1998, during the Portuguese administration.
The Chinese region had already recorded record highs in September (3.8 million), October (3.47 million), November (3.35 million), and December (3.58 million).
Macau received more than 40 million visitors in 2025, a new record high, surpassing the previous record of 39.4 million set in 2019, before the Covid-19 pandemic.
January achieved a record despite the Lunar New Year, an extended holiday period in mainland China, and a tourist peak in Macau, which fell at the end of February. In 2025, the Lunar New Year began on January 29.
In fact, the DSEC points to this difference to explain the 9.6% year-on-year drop in the number of visitors from mainland China with individual visas to 1.45 million.
Even so, the overwhelming majority (89.8%) of tourists who arrived in Macau in January came from mainland China or Hong Kong.
However, almost 62% of visitors (2.25 million) arrived on organised tours and spent less than a day in Macau last year.
The decline in the mainland China and Hong Kong markets was offset by a 20.7% increase in visitors from Taiwan and a 15.5% increase in tourists from the rest of the world.
Macau received nearly 278,500 visitors from abroad, according to the DSEC, excluding Taiwan. This is the highest January figure since 2019, before the start of the pandemic.
On December 16, the director of Macau Tourism Services pointed out that the number of international visitors had recovered to about 80% of pre-pandemic levels.
In August, Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes set a target of more than 3 million international tourists for 2025.
However, Macau fell short of this target, with 2.76 million visitors from abroad, still an increase of 13.7% compared to 2024.
Citizens of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Oman are now exempt from visas to enter the city as of July 16.
On February 17, Senna Fernandes said that Portugal will be one of Macau's priorities in attracting more foreign visitors.
The region was once again present at the Lisbon Travel Market (BTL), which took place between February 25 and March 1, after a year's absence.
VQ/ADB // ADB.
Lusa
