Mainland Chinese tourists flock to Macau for holiday

STORY: The surge in visitors comes after China and its special administrative region Macau lifted strict COVID-19 restrictions in January, allowing visitors to stream into the former Portuguese city for the first time in more than three years.

On the pastel coloured streets surrounding the historical sites of Senado Square and the Ruins of St Paul's, hundreds of visitors thronged cheek by jowl to snap photographs and try Macanese delicacies including egg tarts and dried meat.

Macau is the top destination for Chinese travelers within Asia from April 17 to May 7, according to travel data firm ForwardKeys, with bookings up 11% from pre-pandemic levels in 2019 versus a 32% drop in nearby Hong Kong.