Macau recorded 30 million visitor arrivals for 2026 by 11am on September 11, reaching the milestone 22 days earlier than it did in 2025, according to information from the city’s Public Security Police Force.
The figure represents an 8% year-on-year increase and comes as Macau continues to benefit from strong travel demand during the summer period. Police authorities described visitor numbers as showing “stable growth”, citing Chinese central government visa policies and seasonal travel patterns as factors supporting the increase.
The latest total places Macau on course to build on the visitor performance recorded last year. The city welcomed nearly 40.07 million arrivals in 2025, representing a 14.7% increase from the previous year. That figure exceeded the previous record of 39.4 million arrivals set in 2019.
Mainland China Remains Macau’s Main Visitor Market
Visitors from mainland China accounted for the largest share of Macau’s tourism traffic during the first eight months of 2026. The market contributed approximately 21.54 million arrivals between January and August, representing 74.4% of the total and a 10% increase compared with the same period a year earlier.
According to Inside Asian Gaming, Hong Kong remained the second-largest source of visitors, contributing around 4.87 million arrivals. That represented 16.8% of the overall total and a 1.8% year-on-year decline.
International markets supplied approximately 1.76 million visitors during the January-August period. International arrivals accounted for 6.1% of total visitation and increased by 3.4% from the previous year.
South Korea provided 340,000 visitors during the period, followed by the Philippines with 330,000 and Thailand with 140,000. Taiwan also recorded strong growth, with approximately 780,000 arrivals, equivalent to 2.7% of Macau’s total visitor volume and an increase of 21.7% year on year.
The distribution of arrivals shows the continued importance of nearby Chinese markets to Macau’s tourism sector, while international travel also recorded growth during the first eight months.
August Traffic and Daily Arrivals
Macau received approximately 28.95 million visitors during the first eight months of 2026. This translated into a daily average of just over 119,000 arrivals and represented an increase of about 8% compared with the same period in 2025.
August alone accounted for approximately 4.46 million visitor arrivals, according to the latest information cited in the reports. That represented a 5.7% increase from August 2025. Official August figures from Macau’s Statistics and Census Service were due to be released later in September.
The strongest single-day result so far this year came on May 2, the second day of the Labour Day holiday period. Macau recorded approximately 247,000 visitor arrivals that day.
The city’s airport has also recorded increased passenger activity. Data from the airport operator showed that 5.21 million air passengers travelled through Macau during the first eight months of 2026, marking a 5.6% increase from the previous year.
Twenty-five airlines currently operate in Macau, connecting the territory with 43 destinations. Mainland China accounts for 38% of the airport’s destination network.
National Day Holiday Could Bring Further Growth
The latest visitor milestone arrives several weeks before China’s National Day holiday, which will run from October 1 through October 7. Macau is expected to experience increased tourism activity from mainland China during the seven-day holiday period.
The timing could provide another significant period of travel demand after the strong summer season and the gains recorded during the first eight months of the year.
Macau’s visitor performance has also been supported by changes to travel arrangements from mainland China. During 2025, the Chinese government introduced exit-visa easing measures for residents of Zhuhai, the neighbouring Guangdong city.
The 30 million milestone therefore comes well ahead of last year’s pace. Macau reached the same visitor threshold 22 days later in 2025, while full-year arrivals eventually reached almost 40.07 million.
The current figures do not establish where the full-year 2026 total will finish, but the early achievement of 30 million arrivals shows that visitation has continued to increase compared with the previous year.