Macau’s Public Security Police said the city welcomed 1.14 million visitor arrivals between 20 and 28 December – the combined period covering Macau SAR Establishment Day and Christmas. Total cross-border movements, including residents, hit 6.25 million. The Border Gate checkpoint handled the lion’s share with 482,000 inbound travellers, followed by the Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macau Bridge (261,000) and Hengqin port (166,000).
Travel planners juggling permits for Macau, mainland China or onward legs can simplify the paperwork by using VisaHQ’s digital concierge. The platform provides up-to-date entry requirements, document pickup and submission services for China and scores of other destinations—visit https://www.visahq.com/china/ to see how it can streamline your next trip.
The week capped a banner year for the Cotai casino hub: cumulative arrivals had already surpassed the full-year 2019 pre-pandemic record by 27 December, reaching 39.41 million. Mainland Chinese tourists still dominate at 72 percent of the total, but Hong Kong visitors (18 percent) and a growing Southeast Asian segment underline the widening source-market mix.
![Macau greets 1.14 million visitors during SAR anniversary-cum-Christmas week; Hengqin port tops 30 million annual crossings]()
On the same day, Zhuhai immigration authorities announced that Hengqin port – the land crossing that connects Macau’s fast-growing integrated-resort district with the mainland – had exceeded 30 million passenger crossings for 2025, a 32 percent jump year-on-year.
Large-scale infrastructure upgrades are in the pipeline: Hengqin’s second-phase terminal will lift peak-hour throughput from 53,000 to 80,000 passengers and add ASEAN e-gate lanes, while Macau International Airport plans to reopen its Thailand and Japan networks in Q1 2026. For mobility managers, the surge means tighter hotel allotments and potential delays at peak times; pre-booking limousine transfers and allowing extra buffer before meetings in Cotai is advisable.
Analysts note that Macau’s rebound reflects a broader Guangdong-Greater Bay-Area recovery, aided by streamlined e-channel reciprocity and visa-free short-stay policies for tour groups. If the momentum holds, Macau could cross 45 million annual arrivals in calendar 2026 – a figure that would generate significant demand for MICE capacity and cross-border workforce shuttles.
Travel planners juggling permits for Macau, mainland China or onward legs can simplify the paperwork by using VisaHQ’s digital concierge. The platform provides up-to-date entry requirements, document pickup and submission services for China and scores of other destinations—visit https://www.visahq.com/china/ to see how it can streamline your next trip.
The week capped a banner year for the Cotai casino hub: cumulative arrivals had already surpassed the full-year 2019 pre-pandemic record by 27 December, reaching 39.41 million. Mainland Chinese tourists still dominate at 72 percent of the total, but Hong Kong visitors (18 percent) and a growing Southeast Asian segment underline the widening source-market mix.
On the same day, Zhuhai immigration authorities announced that Hengqin port – the land crossing that connects Macau’s fast-growing integrated-resort district with the mainland – had exceeded 30 million passenger crossings for 2025, a 32 percent jump year-on-year.
Large-scale infrastructure upgrades are in the pipeline: Hengqin’s second-phase terminal will lift peak-hour throughput from 53,000 to 80,000 passengers and add ASEAN e-gate lanes, while Macau International Airport plans to reopen its Thailand and Japan networks in Q1 2026. For mobility managers, the surge means tighter hotel allotments and potential delays at peak times; pre-booking limousine transfers and allowing extra buffer before meetings in Cotai is advisable.
Analysts note that Macau’s rebound reflects a broader Guangdong-Greater Bay-Area recovery, aided by streamlined e-channel reciprocity and visa-free short-stay policies for tour groups. If the momentum holds, Macau could cross 45 million annual arrivals in calendar 2026 – a figure that would generate significant demand for MICE capacity and cross-border workforce shuttles.
