The Macau Government Tourism Office held an annual press conference this week, which resulted in statistics provided, including the fact that 2016 was a record year for tourists to the area. For 2016, Macau saw a total of 30.95 million visitors, which is an increase of .8% when compared to 2015.

Director Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes served as the main speaker of the conference and reported that while the economy stayed in an adjustment period for the year, the preliminary data has shown that international as well as total visitor arrivals in Macau were able to see an increase year-on-year. Greater China visitors also resulted in an increase. As far as international visitors were concerned, the totals were up by 8%.

For Macau, the top visitor markets included Taiwan, Mainland China and Hong Kong. Korea was the top of the list for international markets, as more than 660,000 visitors came to Macau for the year. This was an increase of almost 20%. The markets of Southeast Asia also saw a good turnout of visitors. According to the director, overnight guests to Macau were at a higher number than same-day visitors for the year, with an increase of 10% for the year.

400 delegates attended the conference this week including individuals associated with the travel trade industry. The press of Macau and other regions were also on hand, with around 80 members present during the event.