China's Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) received a record 13.69 million visitors in the first 10 months of this year, up 44 percent year-on-year.

According to the latest statistics released by the Macao Statistics and Census Bureau, the number of visitors from the Chinese mainland amounted to 7.8 million during the period, accounting for 57 percent of Macao's total number of visitors. The number also showed a year-on-year increase of 78 percent.

With land coverage of merely 27.3 square kilometers, Macao received a record 11.88 million of visitors last year.

Boosted by the mainland's facilitated individual travel scheme on out-bound tours, Macao expects the whole year's tag to reach 17million in visitor arrivals.

(Xinhua News Agency November 18, 2004)