Macau’s concessionaires to chip in $2.24mn for Lunar New Year

Neha Soni January 20, 2025

SiGMA news

The Macau SAR Government plans to organise three large-scale events for this year’s Lunar New Year, with the region’s six concessionaires to chip in a combined MOP$18 million (US$2.24 million).

The events for this year’s celebrations are:

The Parade for Celebration of Chinese New Year
Chinese New Year Activities
Chinese New Year Fireworks Displays

The concessionaires will be responsible for 51.7 percent of the expenditure of the three events, which have an overall budget of approximately MOP$34.8 million.

The Parade for the Celebration of Chinese New Year is the highlight of the event, which will run from 31 January to 16 February. The parade will take place over two major dates, held on the third day of the Lunar New Year in the Central District (31 January) and held on the 11th day of the first month of Chinese New Year in the Northern District (8 February).

As traditioned in the past few years, all six concessionaires will be represented by their own parade floats. With a total of 17 vehicles in the parade and 35 performance teams, the parade is set to be a feast for the eyes, featuring over 1,300 performers.

These performers will represent a mix of different art forms, from traditional Chinese dances and lion dances to contemporary performances that blend local and international influences.’

The government also plans to hold a golden dragon parade and flash mob performances at 16 locations in Macau on 29 and 30 January. The scale and diversity of these events are expected to bring a significant boost to Macau’s tourism and economy.

Macau’s new visa policy

Tourism and economy of the region will also be significantly boosted by Macau’s new visa policy for mainland Chinese residents from Zhuhai and Hengqin. This has led to a sharp rise in tourist arrivals, with visitor numbers from Zhuhai increasing by over 26 percent year-on-year.

The policy, implemented on 1 January, allows residents with household registration and residence permits in these regions to apply for multiple-entry visas. These permits, valid for one year with unlimited entries capped at seven-day stays, are expected to add 20,000 daily visitors from these areas.

The Macau Government Tourism Office (MGTO) reported daily visitor numbers exceeding 100,000 during early January, driven by the policy and preparations for the Lunar New Year festivities. To enhance the visitor experience, the MGTO organised fireworks displays and a float parade during the celebrations.