Fewer people are taking the Macao ferry: passenger numbers drop 8.2 percent in 2025

Macao’s two main ferry terminals handled 7.36 million passengers in 2025 – down 8.2 percent year-on-year and 67.9 percent below 2017, according to figures from the Statistics and Census Service published by the Marine and Water Bureau on 18 August 2026. 

Based on The Bay’s analysis of the government’s monthly figures, the Outer Harbour Ferry Terminal recorded a total of approximately 2.79 million passengers in 2025 (-10.3 percent year-on-year), while the Taipa Ferry Terminal logged roughly 4.57 million passengers (-6.9 percent year-on-year). 

Ferry services across the two terminals also fell to 53,445 sailings in 2025, a drop of 3.5 percent year-on-year, or a fall of 61.5 percent relative to 2017.

Why is demand for the Macao ferry declining?

These figures are indicative of the growing number of passengers who are abandoning high-speed ferries in favour of cheaper land transport options such as the cross-border shuttle buses (also known as “golden bus”) that operate via the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge (HZMB). 

“The ferry ticket is around HK$200 for a one-way trip,” a Hong Kong senior resident identified by the surname Wong said to TVB. “But the golden buses only cost around HK$30 [for concessions].” 

According to official data, a TurboJet ticket from Sheung Wan costs HK$194 on weekdays, while a HZMB shuttle costs HK$65, or HK$33 for concessions such as over-65s and children. 

[See more: Sky Shuttle suspends scheduled Macao-Hong Kong flights]

Before the opening of the HZMB in October 2018, the two ferry terminals collectively handled around 22.94 million passengers and operated 138,886 sailings in 2017. 

Following the bridge’s opening and the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic in early 2020, these figures dipped sharply. In 2022, passenger and sailing levels dropped to a low of 241,607 and 3,476 respectively, before rebounding the following year after Covid-19 restrictions were lifted across China.

What is the future of the Macao ferry?

Despite fewer sailings, some Hong Kong residents said they still preferred to board the ferry. One TVB interviewee identified by the surname Lee highlighted the convenience of taking the metro to catch the Hong Kong-Macao ferry from the centrally-located Shun Tak Centre. By contrast, the HZMB’s Hong Kong Port is situated on an artificial island off Lantau Island, away from the city centre. 

Macao tourism representatives told TVB that the ferry service still offers advantages in terms of location and time. Speaking to the broadcaster, Wong Fai, the chair of the Macau Leisure Tourism Services Innovation Association, suggested the two Hong Kong-Macao ferry operators – TurboJet and Cotai Water Jet – stagger their ferry service times or undertake a joint-operation model that would allow consumers to be able to board a ferry at any time, as was the way in the past. 

Regarding the future of Macao’s two ferry terminals, the secretary for transport and public works, Raymond Tam, said in December 2025 that the decision on whether or not to keep both venues operational was a difficult one. He said that once a decision had been made, the government may consider turning the defunct terminal into a venue for the night economy. 

Are Hong Kong-Macao helicopter flights still running?

Other cross-border transport have been affected by the growing popularity of the HZMB shuttle buses, including helicopters. On 1 September 2026, Sky Shuttle suspended its scheduled helicopter flights between Hong Kong and Macao, replacing the more than three decade long service with a chartered offering. 

The company cited “evolving market conditions” and the maintenance of “an efficient and sustainable business structure” as motivators behind the decision. 

Former Macao satellite casino operators such as Hoffman Ma of the Success Universe Group Limited noted that the suspension of Hong Kong-Macao helicopter services may have been linked to the decline in VIP gambler numbers. 

Ma mentioned that high rollers and VIP guests frequently used the expensive cross-border transport due to their hectic schedules and work demands. A drop in the number of such guests has resulted in the helicopter operator adjusting their operations accordingly.