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The number of visitors to Macau jumped almost 23 per cent last year, putting the fast-growing gambling haven on track to surpass neighbouring Hong Kong as a tourist destination.
The tiny, former Portuguese-ruled enclave of less than 500,000 people registered more than 27 million arrivals in 2007, up 22.7 per cent from the previous year, according to government statistics.
Hong Kong registered more than 28 million visitor arrivals, an increase of more than 10 per cent on 2006. If growth rates are maintained, Macau will take the lead this year. Macau has seen its star rise precipitously in the wake of the opening of its casino sector to foreign investment and the loosening of travel restrictions on Chinese tourists in recent years.
Several foreign-owned, Las Vegas-style casinos have gone up.
- REUTERS
