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Golden Week Visitors to Macau Drop 8% From 2024


Skift Take

Despite a single-day post-Covid high, Macau's Golden Week visitor arrivals are down year-over-year, with Mainland China visitation seeing a significant decline.

The first five days of the eight-day Golden Week holiday resulted in 821,016 visitor arrivals to Macau. A new single-day post-Covid visitor high took place on Friday with 219,092 arrivals. While that is the headline, the reality is that arrivals are down year over year for the first five days, down -8.6% from the first five days in 2024. Visitation from Mainland China during those five days is down -11.3% year on year at 606,231.

The South China Morning Post said hotels in Hong Kong are reporting occupancy rates of more than 90% over Lunar New Year but that is just a façade for what appears to be a weaker-than-expected Golden Week holiday. Industry insiders are reporting on shorter stays and a continued reluctance by mainland Chinese visitors to spend. The original forecast was for 1.45 million mainland tourists expecting to visit the city between January 28 and February 4, about 15% more than in 2024.

The northern province of Lao Cai in Vietnam expects to welcome about 360,000 visitors during the nine-day Lunar New Year holidays, up 40% year on year, according to the provincial Department of Tourism. The province expects to serve 13,000 foreigners, generating tourism revenue of about 1.29 trillion VND (US$51.39 million), up 43% from last year. The resort township of Sa Pa, the key tourist destination of Lao Cai, is expected to attract 130,000 visitors during the holidays. Even with that rise, the occupancy rate for hotels and accommodations across the province is expected to be only 70% to 75%. Sa Pa hotels could reach 90%-95% with high-end hotels and resorts with 3-5 star standard having the highest totals. Lao Cai has 1,570 accommodation establishments with around 16,000 rooms, ranging from 1 to 5 stars, alongside 890 unclassified accommodations and 468 homestays. Over 2,430 service establishments cater to tourists.

Autograph Collection Hotels from Marriott officially opened Veranda Resort Phuket, Autograph Collection. This is the third Autograph Collection property in Thailand, first in Phuket, located on the serene Cape Panwa peninsula, just 12km from Phuket Town and 45km from Phuket International Airport. Veranda Resort Phuket features 159 accommodations, including guest rooms, spacious suites and luxurious pool villas. Select rooms provide direct pool access, while beachfront suites and multi-bedroom villas cater to romantic getaways and family vacations. F&B options include The Parlour, an all-day restaurant, Bar Botan featuring both indoor and alfresco seating, and the pop-up Beach BarLet's Relax Spa and the Figure of Nature Pool round out the amenities.

Hyatt Hotels announced the opening of Hyatt Regency Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport, located just a short walk from the airport. The hotel offers 610 guestrooms and suites, ranging from 365 to 699 square feet, and a unique 24-hour check-in/check out option providing flexibility. The hotel offers culinary options, including the Market CaféGolden Village Chinese restaurant, Le Gourmet and KinsenJapanese restaurant. There also is The Atrium Lounge and Touchdown Sports Bar. The hotel offers 1,600 square meters of flexible event space including a grand foyer and 12 breakout rooms. Wellness options include The Spa, a 24-hour fitness center, Thai Garden and an outdoor swimming pool with a pool bar.

CapitaLand Ascott Trust has acquired two freehold limited service hotels in Japan for a total of JPY21 billion. The hotels are the ibis Styles Tokyo Ginza and Chisun Budget Kanazawa Ekimae situated in Kanazawa, considered a top tourist destination in Japan. The acquisition price is said to be at an -8.3% discount to independent valuation. The ibis Styles property has 224 rooms, located next to the Ginza Six high-end retail mall. The 392-unit Chisun Budget Kanazawa Ekimae is in northwest Japan. With these two hotels, CLAS has completed investments of around S$530 million in the past 12 months.

The Four Points by Sheraton Chennai Velachery has been launched in ChennaiIndia. The hotel was developed in partnership with the Krishna Group, marking a significant milestone in Marriott International's expansion strategy in the region. The hotel features 106 rooms, located in the residential hub of VelacherySage & Salt is their restaurant offering and The Liquid Library is the stylish lounge. There is a rooftop pool and a 24-hour fitness center as well as 438 square meters of versatile meeting and banquet space for corporate events, weddings and social gatherings.

MRG Group plans to expand its hospitality portfolio to over 3,500 keys by 2035, with new hotels, global partnerships and large-scale developments. The expansion will be driven by a mix of properties under its signature Goldfinch brand and strategic collaborations with international hospitality partners. The group is set to strengthen its presence in India while exploring opportunities for global partnerships. MRG Group currently operates 11 hotels across India, all owned and managed by the company. The existing portfolio includes 1,200 operational keys with several new projects in development. Upcoming properties include Goldfinch GoaMarriott Resort & Spa in ChikkamagaluruJW Marriott Resort, Spa & Residential in SakleshpurTribute in Mangalore, Goldfinch Retreat in Mangalore and Westin Bangalore. MRG has identified key cities such as HyderabadChennaiGurugram(Delhi NCR), Ahmedabad and Pune for future developments.

Personnel Moves

Former Crown Resorts and Mindil Beach Casino Resort executive Sean Knightswill take over as Chief Operating Officer of the PhilippinesUniversal Hotels and Resorts Inc, operator of Cebu's NUSTAR Resort and Casino. Knights replaces Alan Teo, who will be the new CEO of Hoiana operator Hoi An South Development Ltd in Vietnam.

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