Tourism industry grows rapidly in Macao

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 ◆ Tourism industry grows rapidly in Macao

Tourist arrivals in Macao by group soared a year-on-year 47 percent in the first seven months of this year, led by a skyrocketing increase of tourists from China's inland.

The Statistics and Census Services posted recently that the Special Administrative Region (SAR) had 1.25 million group tourists in the seven-month period.

In July alone, 120,300 inland tourists visited Macao, jumping 71.4 percent from a year earlier. Other major tourist sources for the city include China's Taiwan, Japan and Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

As a result, Macao's hotels have improved business so far this year with three-star ones recording best performance, according to the agency.

Tourism authorities note that the industry has benefited greatly from the decision of the China National Tourism Administration to allow more travel agencies to operate the so-called "Macao Tour" business.

Correspondingly, the Macao Government Tourist Office is taking measures to upgrade market order and accelerating training for tour guides to address the tourist boom.

Statistics also show that 23,100 Macao residents out of a total population of roughly 440,000 traveled overseas in July, favoring destinations such as China's interior, Taiwan and Hong Kong.