China's Macao Special Administrative Region recorded 4.45 million visitor arrivals in the first quarter, an increase of 18.8 percent from the same period of 2004, according to official statistics on Friday.

Figures from the Macao Statistics and Census Service (MSCS) showed that the region, which registers 465,000 residents, hugged in 596,860 package tourists in the quarter, a 9.8 percent year-on-year increase.

Chinese mainlanders made up some 75 percent of the package-tour arrivals in March, according to the statistics.

Macao's 74 hotels and boarding houses accommodated 909,768 guests in the first quarter, almost flat on the same period of 2004, according to the MSCS figures.

The statistics showed that hotel guests accounted for 40.4 percent of the total number of tourists in the quarter.

Famed for its gaming industry and a mixture of western and eastern cultures, Macao has long been a charming destination for world travelers.
 
(Xinhua News Agency May 13, 2005)