Overall visitor arrivals down 0.6% from January to August
A tourist poses for a photo in front of the Merlion, a mascot of Singapore, and the financial district skyline in Singapore. Photo: Reuters
SINGAPORE — A surge of tourist arrivals — including from China — could not drive overall visitor numbers into positive territory for the first eight months of the year, according to latest figures from the Singapore Tourism Board (STB).
Nevertheless, monthly figures are improving. Overall visitor arrivals were down 0.6 per cent from January to August, compared with the same period last year. The number of travellers from South-east Asia — the second-largest group of travellers to Singapore — posted a 7.5 per cent decline for the first eight months, from a year ago.
In particular, the number of visitors from Indonesia and Malaysia fell 11.2 per cent and 4.4 per cent, respectively, although increases were seen for the month of July.
However, visitorship from China is on the rebound, surging 19.3 per cent in the first eight months of the year from the same time last year. Overall monthly arrivals have also been improved from last year since May, with August figures up 6 per cent from August last year.
Overall, there were about 10.2 million tourists in the first eight months of the year. July and August were the strongest months with 1.5 million and 1.4 million visitors, respectively.
The hotel sector, however, continued to lag. The average room rate for January to August was at around S$242, down 5.4 per cent as compared with the same period last year. The revenue per available room was S$207, down 6.1 per cent from last year. Standard average occupancy rate was down 0.6 per cent.
Last year, Singapore saw full-year arrivals fall 3.1 per cent — the first decline since 2009 — while spending remained flat compared with the previous year.
The STB has forecast visitor arrivals to grow by up to 3 per cent this year, and tourism receipts to increase by as much as 2 per cent.
In August, the STB launched a new S$10 million fund for businesses to develop new tourism experiences that will enhance overall visitor experience and satisfaction in Singapore. Earlier this year, it also launched a S$20 million global marketing campaign leveraging on the Republic’s Golden Jubilee year, among other initiatives.
