MACAO, December 27 -- Macao's immigration authorities have recorded 1,308,237 border crossings at its six immigration checkpoints over the Christmas holidays from December 22 to 25, a press release issued by the Information Bureau said Wednesday.

The region recorded 19.50 million visitor arrivals in the first 11 months, a year-on-year rise of 21.4 percent, according to official statistics issued earlier the month.

Macao, with its famed casino gaming industry, has long been a tourism destination in Asia.
The region, with a population of 508,000, logged a record 18.71 million visitor arrivals in 2005 and the number is predicted by local analysts to exceed 21 million this year.