Singapore Tourism Board (STB) reported (13-Feb-2019) visitor arrivals to Singapore increased 6.2% year-on-year to 18.5 million in 2018. Travel was boosted by record arrivals from China, India, the Philippines, UK, US, Vietnam and Germany. Details include:
- China, Indonesia and India remained to top three markets for visitor arrivals, with growth from tier one and tier two cities in China and India due to strong travel demand and greater flight connectivity;
- Tourism receipts increased 1% to SGD27.1 billion (USD19.9 billion), mainly due to growth in arrivals across the top 15 markets and higher visitor spending from the top five source markets;
- Airfare revenue increased on the back of growth in visitor arrivals via local carriers;
- Business travel and MICE arrivals increased 14% to two million.
STB CEO Keith Tan said the board is "pleased" with the performance of Singapore's tourism sector in 2018 "despite some economic uncertainties". Singapore was "fortunate to have benefitted from a confluence of positive factors such as strong Asia Pacific travel demand, increased flight connectivity to Singapore, and various high profile events" commented Mr Tan. STB forecast 1% to 4% growth in international visitor for 2019, taking arrivals to between 18.7 million and 19.2 million. Tourism receipts are forecast to increase 1% to 3% to between SGD27.3 billion (USD20.1 billion) and SGD27.9 billion (USD20.5 billion). STB expects headwinds "due to the volatility of the global political and economic environment, and stiffer regional competition", but remains cautiously optimistic and anticipates strong tourism growth from Singapore's key source markets. [more - original PR]