Macau Hotel Association Chairman Jocelyn Wong (王淑欣) said that she is “quite confident” in Macau being able to draw the Spanish market, she told the Post yesterday during an interview with Portuguese- and English-language media on the sidelines of a tasting event at Hotel Royal Macau.
Wong, who joined the Macau government-led delegation during a trip to Portugal and Spain last week, highlighted the encounter of exchanges as well as the things that the Spanish market might find attractive in Macau.
Remarking on last week’s visit to Spain’s capital Madrid, Wong, who also serves as the managing director of Hotel Royal, particularly highlighted a visit to a centre in Spain that promotes Chinese culture and delicacies, pointing out that these can all be experienced in Macau. Moreover, she noted Macau’s Portuguese culture and cuisine for some of the similarities shared with the Spanish culture, making it also “very suitable for them”, while there are also many places similar to those in Madrid.
“As compared to last year, the tourists from Spain coming to Macau increased by double digits. So we are quite confident that Macau is also a destination for them to come over”, she said.
Meanwhile, Wong was also asked by reporters about her expectations in terms of hotel occupancy over the Labour Day Golden Week holiday, which lasts a total of five days in the Chinese mainland.
“We are expecting around 70 percent occupancy at this moment. Of course, for the first three days, we expect full occupancy”, adding that hotel room occupancy in Cotai was currently at 90 or 100 percent.
Room rates have meanwhile remained around the same as last year. But in the first quarter compared to the same period in 2025, Wong highlighted that occupancy has increased while room rates have dropped. She noted that with many tourists coming to Macau, prices are being lowered by businesses, particularly in the peninsula, to attract tourists. The high occupancy and lower room rates could also be attributed to the many events happening in Macau, noting that it is “quite competitive right now”.
Macau Hotel Association Chairman Jocelyn Wong (王淑欣) poses after yesterday’s interview at Hotel Royal. – Photo: Rui Pastorin
