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The annual 'Golden Week' period marks the founding of the modern Chinese nation with the 2018 edition running from Oct. 1 to Sunday, according to a memo from investment research firm Sanford C Bernstein Limited. The seven-day holiday significantly increases Macau's total gaming revenue due to many mainland tourists traveling to the former Portuguese region to enjoy the country's many casinos, shops, and attractions.



But Sanford C Bernstein Limited analysts Jen Gong, Kelsey State and Vitali Umanski reportedly warned that this year's annual holiday was 'weaker than initially expected' in recent online checks showing 'remaining room availability' across the city. They said hotel bookings for Macau 'appear to be going strong' but reportedly advised that a similar situation could serve as a mirror that did not lead to 'large game gross revenue.'



Seventeen of the 27 casino hotels surveyed said they were fully booked for six days from yesterday, and Sanford C Bernstein Limited predicted Macau would increase by up to 6% year-on-year in game sales last October.



Numerous other industry experts have pointed out that Macau's casino industry usually relies on high-value VIP players for most of its revenue, and visitors on less affluent days in the mass market have little impact. Despite the claims, a study by analysts Sean Zhuang and DS Kim of JPMorgan Securities Asia Pacific Limited predicted on Monday that Macau would only post a year-over-year increase in total gaming revenue for October.



Yesterday, the City Gaming Inspection Coordination Bureau reported total gaming revenue of $2.72 billion in September, up 2.8% year-over-year. The Macau government's tourism agency is reportedly scheduled to release official 'Golden Week' data from this afternoon.