SINGAPORE, 18 July 2022: With global travel picking up pace, Singapore expects to receive between 4 and 6 million visitors in 2022, according to the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) latest forecast for international visitor arrivals (IVA) released late last week.
In the first half of 2022, Singapore clocked 1.5 million visitor arrivals, nearly 12 times more than in 2021 (119,000). Tourism receipts (TR) reached an estimated SGD1.3 billion in the year’s first quarter. While IVA and TR remain a fraction of Singapore’s pre-pandemic numbers, STB believes that tourism flows will recover to pre-Covid levels by the mid-2020s.
Singapore Tourism Board chief executive Keith Tan said: “The encouraging growth in visitor arrivals and tourism receipts signals strong pent-up demand and underscores Singapore’s continued appeal as a vibrant and attractive destination for leisure and business travellers. While the pandemic is certainly not over yet, we are confident that Singapore’s very rich calendar of events and new and refreshed tourism offerings will continue to attract visitors for the rest of 2022 and beyond.”
International Visitor Arrivals (IVA)
Indonesia (282,000), India (219,000), Malaysia (139,000), Australia (125,000) and the Philippines (81,000) were Singapore’s top five international visitor-generating markets, accounting for 56% of total IVA from January to June 2022.
Indonesia (+268,000, +1996%), India (+204,000, +1344%) and Malaysia (+132,000, +2000%), registered the largest absolute year-on-year growth.
Notably, the average length of stay for visitors more than doubled in the first half of 2022 – approximately 7.1 days compared to 3.4 days in 2019.
Tourism Receipts
During the first quarter of 2022, tourist receipts (TR) reached SGD1.3 billion, a 213% year-on-year increase over the same period last year.
Tourist Receipts By Markets
Excluding expenditure on Sightseeing Entertainment & Gaming (SEG), Indonesia, India, and China were the top three TR-generating markets in Q1 2022, contributing 32% of TR (excluding SEG). Among the top 10 TR markets, Indonesia (+SGD95 million, +187%), and India (+SGD97 million, +376%) registered the highest year-on-year absolute growth in TR (excluding SEG).
TR By Major Components
Growth was recorded across all major components, with Shopping (373%) and Accommodation (344%) recording the highest year-on-year growth.
Looking Ahead
Tourism flows will face some headwinds for the rest of the year because of the volatile global political and economic environment, as well as the evolving health situation.
STB will monitor the situation closely and calibrate its forecast and plans accordingly. We remain cautiously optimistic and anticipate a strong performance from key source markets this year, given a strong pipeline of events such as the Formula 1 Singapore Airlines Singapore Grand Prix 2022 and the Bloomberg New Economy Forum. New and rejuvenated offerings like Hell’s Museum at Haw Par Villa, the Museum of Ice Cream, SkyHelix Sentosa, and the “Avatar: The Experience” at Gardens by the Bay later this year are also set to attract more visitors.
STB will continue to develop the tourism sector with new offerings and refreshed concepts to strengthen Singapore’s appeal as an attractive destination. This includes growing our capabilities in the emerging areas of wellness and sustainability.
For example, STB held the inaugural Wellness Festival Singapore in June, with a 10-day line-up of over 100 activities and experiences to promote holistic well-being. In October, Singapore will be the first Southeast Asian country to host the Tour de France Singapore Criterium. This premier sporting event aligns with Singapore’s sustainability goals and our ambition to be an urban wellness haven. Sail Grand Prix (SailGP), the first climate-positive sports and entertainment property, will also make its Asian debut in Singapore in 2023.
(Source: Singapore Tourism Board)
