Tourism in Macau

Tourism is a major industry in Macau. It is famous for the blend of Portuguese and Chinese cultures and its gambling industry, which includes Casino Lisboa, Macau, Sands Macau, The Venetian Macao, and Wynn Macau.

Macau is known as the “Monte Carlo of the Orient” and the “Las Vegas of the East”, which is attributed to the large volume of casinos that are found within the city. In fact, Macau is the only location in China where gambling is legal, and as such, gambling tourism is the city’s greatest source of revenue, and, the greatest revenue from gambling generated in the world.

Background

Governance and regulation

Tourism in Macau is managed and regulated by a governmental body named the Macao Government Tourism Office, currently headed by Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes.

Geography

alt=|thumb|Map of Macau

Due to land reclamation in Macau, the islands of Taipa, Cotai and Coloane are "more like one big island these days". The largest casino in Macau is located inside The Venetian Macao, which boasts 376,000 square feet of gaming space, 640 gaming tables and 1,760 slot machines, which are specifically geared towards an Asian market. Listed below are popular dishes for visitors to try in Macau.

alt=Portuguese Egg Tarts|thumb|283x283px|Famous Portuguese egg tarts

Popular Macanese & Portuguese dishes

Portuguese green vegetable soup
Grilled Portuguese sausage
Bacalhau cakes
African chicken
Roast suckling pig
Minchee
Portuguese egg tart
Serradura
Molotof

thumb|284x284px|Xiao long bao, Shanghai-style dumplings

Popular Chinese Dim Sum & dishes

Pork siu mai
Xiao long bao
Turnip cake
Steamed beef balls
Cha siu bao
Rice noodle roll
Sea cucumber
Sweet and sour pork
Egg custard bun
Pumpkin cake

Climate

Ranging from around 20 °C (68 °F) to 26 °C (79 °F), the annual average temperature in Macau is approximately 23˚C (73˚F). Tourists should note that humidity levels are high in the city, averaging around 80% annually, but often rising much higher. Located in the subtropical climate zone, the rainy season in Macau falls between May and September each year. During this time of year Macau is hot and humid, and has been known to experience tropical storms (known as Typhoons). Because Macau benefits from favorable taxation rules, it is a favored location for Chinese tourists to purchase luxury goods like cosmetics, jewelry, and designer fashion goods.

The House of Dancing Water is dubbed "Macau's most expensive show", consisting of "water stunts, acrobatics, aerial arts and theater".

Another activity Macau offers for visitors is the Macau Tower Bungy Jump. This jump earned the Guinness World Record for the "Highest Commercial Bungy Jump in the world" at 233m (or 764 ft). Tourists can expect to pay HK$3,688 for their first jump, and a lower price of HK$1,675 for their second jump.

Listed below are further places to visit in Macau:

Macau Museum of Art
Sir Robert Ho Tung Library
Macao Giant Panda Pavilion
Museum of Macau
Senate Library
Maritime Museum
Macao Cultural Centre
Taipa Houses–Museum
Museum of Taipa and Coloane History

Gambling

thumb|325x325px|[[Casino Lisboa (Macau)|Casino Lisboa, Macau]]

Macau has been known as "Monte Carlo of the Orient" and "Las Vegas of the East", which is attributed to the vast number of Casinos throughout the location. It is understood that visitors to Macau greatly focus on gambling, with an average stay of 1.5 nights. Gaming tax contributes to a large portion of the Macau SAR's total fiscal revenue. With over 30 major brick-and-mortar casinos, Macau includes both the "traditional gambling stalwarts from [its] glittery past and the new resorts that have appeared from western companies". And so, there has been study into the "emerging but understudied phenomenon in tourism and hospitality: casino tourism". In casinos, dress codes are variable and range from conservative-formal to casual.

Accessing Macau

Statistics

Most visitors arriving to Macau in 2014–2019, came from:

{| class="wikitable sortable"

! style="width:5px; background:#00966E;" |Rank

! style="width:130px; background:#00966E;" |Country/Region

! style="width:50px; background:#00966E;" |2019

! style="width:50px; background:#00966E;" |2018

! style="width:50px; background:#00966E;" |2017

! style="width:50px; background:#00966E;" |2016

! style="width:50px; background:#00966E;" |2015

! style="width:50px; background:#00966E;" |2014

| Mainland China

|27,923,219

|25,260,556

|22,196,203

|20,454,104

|20,410,615

|21,252,410

|7,354,094

|6,327,925

|6,165,129

|6,419,839

|6,534,543

|6,426,608

|1,063,355

|1,060,968

|1,060,107

|1,074,525

|988,059

|953,753

|743,026

|812,842

|874,253

|662,321

|554,177

|554,521

|423,106

|312,072

|307,139

|287,025

|276,806

|262,853

|295,783

|325,798

|328,990

|300,613

|282,217

|299,849

|206,277

|227,854

|218,301

|222,809

|229,102

|250,046

|199,800

|201,810

|186,378

|190,885

|182,532

|181,457

|169,957

|173,836

|197,139

|182,467

|163,353

|189,189

|10

|151,521

|181,379

|198,222

|236,169

|180,836

|175,906

|11

|127,351

|147,870

|148,121

|165,278

|167,578

|167,216

|12

|115,742

|134,840

|143,068

|155,763

|158,814

|196,491

|13

|84,030

|90,914

|88,988

|93,286

|92,404

|105,914

|14

|75,060

|74,268

|74,287

|75,173

|70,973

|70,601

|15

|59,284

|58,319

|57,121

|61,301

|59,985

|60,756

|Total

|39,406,181

|35,803,663

|32,610,506

|30,950,336

|30,714,628

|31,525,632

Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge

thumb|320x320px|West section of [[Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macau Bridge]]

Completed in 2018, the Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macau Bridge connects Hong Kong, Zhuhai and Macau through "a series of bridges, sub-sea tunnels, viaducts and artificial islands". It is "the world's longest sea-crossing bridge" at 55 kilometres. The bridge was built with the intention of meeting increasing demands for passengers travelling between Hong Kong, Mainland China and Macau via the establishment of a new transportation link between the East and West banks of the Pearl River Delta. The other option for travellers from Hong Kong is the ferry, which is more expensive with tickets priced around HK$170 - HK$200.