Macau welcomed almost 5 million visitor arrivals in the three months to 31 March 2023 – almost as many as there were through the entirety of 2022, the Macao Government Tourism Office has revealed.

According to provisional figures released during the Easter weekend, there were around 4.96 million visitors for the quarter, including 1.51 million from Hong Kong. This compares to 5.7 million visitor arrivals last year and 7.7 million in 2021, although the current run-rate still lags well behind the 39.4 million arrivals in 2019.

The update formed part of an announcement by the MGTO that it would commence the second phase of its “Macao Treat” special offer from 10 April to 30 June by which anyone who buys a bus or ferry ticket to Macau from Hong Kong and staying for at least one night is eligible to receive their return ticket for free.