Quality quantity

As Golden Week drew to its end, Macau saw an overall increase in the year-on-year number of visitor arrivals, despite a general decrease in visitor entries recorded over the first three days of the national holiday. During the seven days from October 1 to 7, Macau received nearly a million visitors, of which some 85 per cent were from Mainland China. As usual, the majority arrived in Macau via the Border Gate. The second most popular entry point to the city was the Lotus Bridge border crossing in Cotai.
The data released on a daily basis by the Macau Government Tourism Office (MGTO) shows a performance similar to last year’s Golden Week. In general, this reflects the trend toward more stable economic growth in China, with a matching decrease in expenditure by Mainland tourists in Macau. Retailers in the Senado area complained that during the sluggish first days of the holiday, visitors were unwilling to reach deep into their pockets. Eateries and jewellery businesses have not been doing as well as usual, though novelties on the Cotai Strip – mainly due to the opening of new casino venues – have caused a rebound in gambling-related revenues in the last few weeks.
The overall drop in tourist visits and expenditure when compared to previous years – especially 2014, when visitor arrivals during the Golden Week amounted to nearly double that of 2015 and 2016 – also reveals another trend. Mainland tourists are more willing to depart for long-haul destinations and spend their money on goods and services elsewhere. Earlier this year The Economist reported that one in ten international tourists today come from China. Not that everybody is happy about that. Mainland visitors have become particularly infamous – trying to open aircraft doors mid-air is just one example in a range of disturbing behaviours. But they have money to spend, and the huge, expanding, tourism sector – counting now for nearly one-tenth of global GDP – is unable to say much in response.
For similar reasons, Macau continues to cater to Mainland tourists and the Asian market. As China has become wealthier, Macau has directly benefitted as it develops into a major tourist hub in the region. But tastes and demands are also evolving. As the Chinese become richer, they are also becoming more educated and global-minded. It may not hurt to shift focus from quantity to quality, for a change.