The number of passengers arriving in Macao in the first three quarters of this year rose 5.3 percent over the same period of 1998, according to the latest official statistics.

Figures released Wednesday by the Macao Census and Statistics Department show that passenger arrivals in Macao by means of marine, land and air routes were 5.51 million from January to September.

During the nine months, passengers coming from China's interior areas increased by 122.7 percent, an indication of booming personnel exchanges with Macao's return to the motherland drawing near.

In addition, the number of passenger arrivals from the Republic of Korea, south Asian countries and the Taiwan region rose 44.9 percent, 21.7 percent and 20.6 percent, respectively in the period. However, passengers coming from Hong Kong dropped by 13.2 percent.