The Lion City roars its return with 6 million expected visitors

4 to 6 million international visitor arrivals in Singapore — that’s what the country has forecasted for 2022 after analysing its tourism recovery momentum.

In this first half of 2022, 1.5 million visitors arrived on Singapore’s shores, numbering 12 times more than the same period in 2021, which stood at 119,000. Meanwhile, tourism receipts in Q1 has hit S$1.3 billion (US$928 million), representing a 213% year-on-year increase compared to the same period last year.

Though both international visitor arrivals and tourism receipts are still shadowed by pre-pandemic numbers, the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) believes that tourism will fully recover to pre-Covid levels around 2025.

“The encouraging growth in visitor arrivals and tourism receipts signals strong pent-up demand, and underscore Singapore’s continued appeal as a vibrant and attractive destination for leisure and business travellers,” said Keith Tan, chief executive of STB. “While the pandemic is certainly not over yet, we are confident that Singapore’s very rich calendar of events, as well as new and refreshed tourism offerings, will continue to attract visitors for the rest of 2022 and beyond.”

Visitors numbering in 282,000 from Indonesia, 219,000 from India, 139,000 from Malaysia, 125,000 from Australia and 81,000 Philippines made up Singapore’s top five international visitor-generating markets that accounted for 56% of its total numbers from January to June.

Travellers from Indonesia, India and China were the top three biggest spenders in Q1 2022, contributing 32% to Singapore’s tourism receipts, which excludes the Sightseeing Entertainment & Gaming segment. Indonesian tourists contributed S$95 million (US$68 million), and Indian visitors contributed S$97 million (US$69 million).

Growth was recorded across all major components, with shopping (373%) and accommodation (344%) recording the highest year-on-year growth.

Photo Credit: Singapore Tourism Board