Macau consolidated an economic recovery driven by tourism and gaming in August 2026, after the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) reported on August 21 that real GDP grew 3.7% year on year in the first half, reaching approximately MOP209.9 billion (US$26 billion), while July closed with 3,542,218 visitor arrivals, up 2.4%.
Tourism remains heavily dependent on mainland China. In July, 2,701,203 visitors arrived from mainland China, up 5.4%, including 1,493,612 under the Individual Visit Scheme, an increase of 9.6%. Hong Kong contributed 561,713 visitors, down 10.2%; Taiwan recorded 104,833, up 13.9%; and international visitors fell 1.9% to 174,469. Among international markets, India jumped 66.4% to 10,261 arrivals, while South Korea declined 14.7%.
The quality of tourism was more mixed. Same-day visitors increased 6.4% to 2,107,744, while overnight visitors fell 2.9% to 1,434,474. From January through July, Macau accumulated 24,486,664 visitors, up 8%, with nearly 15 million classified as same-day visitors.
Gaming remains a decisive contributor to GDP. In 1H26, exports of gaming services rose 5.5%, while other tourism services advanced 10.8%. The six concessionaires — Sands China, Galaxy Entertainment Group, SJM Resorts, Melco Resorts & Entertainment, Wynn Macau and MGM China — generated approximately MOP126.9 billion in GGR, up 6.8%.
July, however, showed pressure: GGR reached MOP20.26 billion (US$2.51 billion), down 8.4% year on year, although it increased 9.4% from June. January-to-July GGR reached MOP147.16 billion, up 4.4%.
Casino supervision falls under the Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau (DICJ), while Ng Wai Han, Secretary for Economy and Finance since June 2026, provides political oversight for the portfolio covering gaming and tourism. The Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) remains headed by Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes.
