2020 might see a 90% drop in visitors to Macau from the previous year

The total number of visitors to Macau in 2020 could experience a year-on-year drop of more than 90%, as the city has already seen a drop of 87% in the first eight months of the year. Up to this point in the year, the area has seen just over 3.57 million tourists, with the Fall Golden Week sustaining the year-on-year trend of drop in visitor numbers.

The gross gaming income of Macau casinos for the first nine months of 2020 totals over MOP38.61 billion (US$4.8 billion), which is an 82.5% drop compared to the same period in 2019.

And according to Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, who is the head of the Macao Government Tourism Office, the decline in numbers is expected to continue, which is especially concerning considering the restrictions that have been put in place because of the continuing coronavirus pandemic.

She stated that "we predicted that, in comparison to last year, the drop for this year should be around 90%."

While people are still worried about the pandemic, the general public does not want to see us loosening up our admission restrictions too much.

Because of the procedures that are now in place, individuals who are in possession of foreign passports are not permitted to enter the territory unless they have a valid Macau identification card. Also, upon entry, they are required to undergo an obligatory 14-day quarantine.

Arrivals from Hong Kong are required to remain in quarantine for a period of 14 days and produce a certificate verifying that they are free of the COVID-19 virus.

In the meanwhile, travelers coming from China are required to provide the certificate in order to avoid being placed in quarantine.