Passenger arrivals in China's Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) neared 35 million in 2024, a surge which was driven largely by those from the mainland, according to the data released by the Macao Public Security Police Force on Wednesday.
Macao saw 34.932 million inbound passengers in 2024, representing a 23.6-percent growth compared to that in 2023 thanks to various supportive measures implemented by the central government.
The number of passengers from the mainland reached 24.482 million, which accounted for 70.1 percent of the total arrivals, up 28.6 percent year on year.
The data also shows that the cumulative number of entry-exit travelers at all ports in Macao in 2024 grew by 17.5 percent to reach 210 million, a record high.
Macao records nearly 35 mln passenger arrivals in 2024
The tradition of appreciating beautiful lanterns during Spring Festival celebrations has kept China's lantern workshops busy in the last lunar month in the run-up to the Year of the Snake.
In Zhangzhou City of east China's Fujian Province, a special lantern show was staged on Friday night.
A 100-meter-long golden snake-shaped boat made with 2,025 lanterns sailed on the river, stopping residents and tourists passing by to watch and pray.
Meanwhile, a flyboard rider in gorgeous clothing presented a fire pot performance, a national-level intangible cultural heritage, illuminating the river with sparks.
"The fire pot performance and the lantern show, one dynamic and the other static, are particularly charming in this environment," said Zheng Chenghong, a tourist.
"I'm very excited and happy to watch this performance combining water jet pack and fire pot," said Chen Jinwei, a local resident.
In Hejin City of north China's Shanxi Province, more than 20 craftspeople at a cultural center are busy making rotating lanterns, a national-level intangible cultural heritage.
As the process is very complicated, it usually takes 10 craftspeople a day to make one lantern.
"This is a new work we've created this year. It's called 'all flowers in full bloom.' Despite the small size, the lantern is very hard to make, as it involves a dozen of processes. The papercut fish on the lantern symbolizes a wish for abundance, and the lantern is very beautiful when it whirls," said Li Erpeng, an inheritor of the craftsmanship.
In Taigu District, Jinzhong City of Shanxi, a workshop has used 3D printing technology in lantern production, cutting down on production time from more than 10 days to just one or two days.
The Spring Festival, the most important traditional festival in China, will fall on Jan 29. The year 2025 will mark the Year of the Snake, the sixth animal in the 12-year cycle of the Chinese zodiac.
Festive lanterns in hot demand as Chinese New Year nears
