Macau kicked off Chinese New Year on Tuesday with a traditional Golden Dragon Parade at the Ruins of St Paul. But unofficially, the Year of the Horse began over the weekend, as an estimated 279,400 visitors streamed into the special administrative region.
According to local media, more than 132,000 tourists arrived on Saturday alone, mostly from the Chinese mainland.
The nine-day holiday runs through 23 February. It is typically peak travel time for mainlanders to Macau, the most profitable gaming jurisdiction in the world and the only place in China where they can legally gamble. Macau casinos generated almost US$31 billion in gross gaming revenue in 2025.
Tourism officials expect up to 1.5 million visitors over the New Year, up from 1.31 million last year. For the month, Citigroup analysts project GGR of MOP20.5 billion, an increase of 4% over February 2025.
Holiday wishes, and a warning
In a holiday message, Macau Chief Executive Sam Hou Fai wished “prosperity and stability” to Macau and “peace and happiness” to its residents.
At the same time, the Chinese embassy in Singapore issued a “solemn” reminder to citizens not to gamble in any jurisdiction outside Macau. It cited the recent death of a Chinese gambler at Marina Bay Sands, one of two casino resorts in Singapore. Per the statement, the individual gambled, then “jumped from height and fell to their death”. Officials added that they have dealt with “several gambling-related deaths” in Singapore in recent years.
“Overseas gambling violates national laws,” the government advisory warned, “and embassies cannot provide consular protection for illegal activities. As Chinese New Year approaches … strengthen legal awareness and stay away from gambling.”
China’s Ministry of Public Security, meanwhile, has introduced a platform by which Chinese citizens can report alleged illegal gambling. As reported by China Observers, such “community policing” is “reminiscent of the Cultural Revolution, encouraging citizens to monitor their neighbours and report suspicious behaviour”.
Original article: https://igamingbusiness.com/casino/tourism/macau-welcomes-almost-280k-visitors-chinese-new-year/
