MACAO - The Tourist Price Index in China's Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) for the second quarter of 2018 went up by 2.78 percent year-on-year to 129.86, the SAR's statistics service said on Friday.

Information from the Statistics and Census Service indicated that the increase of the index was due to rising charges for hotel accommodation and restaurant services, higher bus fares and airfares, and higher prices of local food products.

Among the various sections of goods and services, price indices of accommodation, transport and communications, as well as food, alcoholic beverages and tobacco rose by 7.05 percent, 6.30 percent and 4.25 percent year-on-year respectively.

In comparison with the previous quarter, the index for the second quarter of 2018 decreased by 5.17 percent.

The average Tourist Price Index for the last four quarters ending the second quarter of 2018 rose by 4.21 percent from the previous period, with notable increases in the price indices of accommodation, transport and communications.

For the first half of 2018, the index went up by 4.48 percent year-on-year, with price indices of accommodation, as well as transport and communications rising by 13.64 percent and 6.44 percent respectively.