2021-05-05 

The Macau Daily Times

General hotel occupancy in Macau reached levels of between 80% to 90% during the May 1 holidays, giving the industry confidence that the worst has passed, president of the Macau Hoteliers & Innkeepers Association, Cheung Kin Chung, has been quoted as saying.
The first day of the long weekend, May 1, saw 44,000 tourists arrive in Macau. The previous day saw 41,000 arrivals. These numbers make these two days record highs during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Cheung noted that the high hotel occupancy rate was within the industry’s expectation when he spoke with local Chinese paper the Macao Daily News, adding that the city should still be vigilant about a relapse outside of China.
He recalled that before the commencement of the five-day holiday period in Mainland China, the booking rate had already reached as high as 70%, making the industry expect higher occupancy rate during the holidays.
It turned out the industry was right, considering the actual occupancy rate.
Cheung sees recovery of the industry speeding up. He explained that as the pandemic has focused on mainland Chinese for domestic travel, tourists from the north of Macau tend to stay longer in the city.
Recent data showed that the duration of each hotel booking was at least two nights. However, some more time is needed for room rate to reach pre-Covid highs. Cheung is confident that hotel occupancy will remain at the 50% level after the long holiday.
The influx of tourists has also led to better performance in the catering industry. Fong Kin Fu, vice chairman of the council, The United Association of Food and Beverage Merchants of Macao, said that restaurants and eateries across the city only saw increases from the third day of the holiday period.
Fong attributed the recovery to hotels offering competitive packages that lengthened the stay of tourists, which at the end of the day benefited the retail and catering industries. He disclosed that outlets in tourist districts saw lots of diners and even queues outside their venues, giving him the impression that tourists are returning. In contrast to Cheung, Fong was not confident with the outlook prior to the holiday period.
Meanwhile, tourists were reportedly driven to experience local “Cha-Chaan-Teng” (cafeteria) culture by mainland online review platforms. Some 50% more business was recorded.