The Chinese government eased access for almost 8 million people who have applied for a travel visa between China, Hong Kong, and Macao.

The new regulations will also make it easier for almost 3 million Chinese residents to renew a permit that allows travel to and from Hong Kong and Macau from China, according to a GGRAsia report.

The new policy takes effect at the start of September.

This year, 13.8% more people are traveling to Macao from mainland China on package tours. That figure correlates with the 6.8 million visitors from mainland China from January through July who used an Individual Visit Scheme (IVS) permit.

Gross gaming revenue in Macao was up 18.9% for the year in July, but casinos missed revenue projections in back-to-back months this summer.