Macao saw its number of visitor arrivals in package tours in the first ten months of 2007 increase by 44.5 percent over the same period of 2006 to 3,342,966, according to official statistics issued on Wednesday.

Information from the government's Statistics and Census Service (SCS) indicated that the National Day holidays have contributed to the surge in visitor arrivals in package tours, as the number in October 2007 reached 369,056, up notably by 70.8 percent year-on- year. Visitors from the Chinese mainland recorded remarkable growth of 65.3 percent compared with October 2006, amounting to 255,675.

However, the first ten months of 2007 also saw Macao residents traveling in package tours dropped by 23.6 percent year-on-year to 170,777, according to the SCS.

Statistics also show that the Chinese mainland, Thailand and South Korea were the three most popular tour destinations for Macao residents.

The Macao Special Administrative Region has a population of 528, 000.