Macao recorded 651,000 visitor arrivals during the Chinese Lunar New Year holidays, a year-on-year rise of 10 percent, according to statistics issued here on Tuesday.

The figures from the Tourist Office showed that the travelers from the Chinese mainland accounted for 53 percent of the visitor arrivals during the holiday season dated from Jan. 29 to Feb. 4.

Macao's hotels saw an average room occupancy rate of nearly 95 percent during the weeklong holidays, a year-on-year increase of four percentage points, according to the figures.

Macao, one of Asia's tourism destinations famed for its casino gaming industry, boasted a record 18.4 million visitor arrivals in 2005.

(Xinhua News Agency February 7, 2006)