Macau has released tourism statistics for the first half of 2011, showing significant growth in arrivals. Data released by the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) shows total visitor arrivals surpassed 15.7 million in the first seven months of 2011, up 9.8% year-on-year. Looking at individual markets, Macau is increasingly popular among South Korean tourists, but the Japanese and Malaysians appear to be losing interest.
From January to July, Macau welcomed 230,721 Korean visitors, an increase of 25.6% which was driven by the opening of a new airline route between Macua and Seoul in December. Meanwhile, arrivals from Japan and Malaysia continued to plunge in this time. Visits from Japan dropped by 10.9%, Malaysian arrivals fell by 7%, and Taiwanese arrivals dipped 6.2%.
According to the Macau Daily Times, lawmaker Lee Chong Cheng has urged the government to improve the quality of local tourism services and to re-adjust the role of the Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO) to enhance the tourism sector.
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