BUSINESS

Spring Festival Crowds Lift Hong Kong Retail, Fuel Macao Casino Boom

Published: Feb. 25, 2026 1:36 a.m. GMT+8

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Tourists take photos of Victoria Harbour from the Avenue of Stars in Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong, on Feb. 15, 2026. Photo: IC

Hong Kong welcomed more than 1.5 million visitors from the Chinese mainland during the nine-day Spring Festival holiday, while high-stakes gambling in neighboring Macao climbed to record levels.

Total arrivals to Hong Kong reached about 1.77 million during the break, which ended Monday. Travelers from the Chinese mainland accounted for 85% of the total. The daily average number of mainland visitors rose 6.3% from the same holiday period in 2025, exceeding the government’s earlier projection of 1.43 million arrivals.

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Hong Kong received about 1.77 million visitors during the nine-day Spring Festival, 85% from mainland China, surpassing official projections.
Large-scale events boosted local retail, while West Kowloon station became the top entry point with over 51,000 daily arrivals at peak.
Macao's gaming sector saw record wagers, with premium mass bets up 13% year-on-year and projected February gross gaming revenue at $2.5 billion.

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Citigroup Inc.: Citigroup Inc. reported on Macao's gaming sector, noting a 13% increase in average wagers in the premium mass segment during the Spring Festival holiday, reaching HK$29,625. They observed a rise in high-end spending with more gamblers placing bets over HK$500,000 compared to the previous year. Citigroup forecasts Macao's gross gaming revenue for February to hit 20 billion patacas.

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