Tourist arrivals buck the trend in May with 1.1% rise
Tourists pose for a photo with Marina Bay Sands in the background. TODAY file photo
SINGAPORE — After six months of year-on-year declines, monthly tourism arrivals rose for the first time in May, rising 1.1 per cent from a year ago to about 1.22 million visitors.
The figures were posted on the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) website yesterday (Aug 17). Despite the uptick, total arrivals for the first five months of the year were still down from last year, falling 4.1 per cent to 6.07 million.
The upswing in May was led largely by an increase in the number of Chinese and Indian holidaymakers. A total of 141,236 visitors from China landed on Singapore’s shores in May — up by a hefty 47.1 per cent from a year ago. For the first five months of the year, the number of visitors from China rose 3.1 per cent from last year. Meanwhile, some 130,475 Indian nationals arrived here in May – 9.7 per cent more than the same period a year ago.
Arrivals from Southeast Asia on the other hand continued to fall. In the first five months of the year, about 2.28 million tourists came, down 9.1 per cent. The number of visitors from Indonesia in the first five months of the year was about 1.08 million, down 13.6 per cent from last year.
Ms Shirley Tee, Nanyang Polytechnic’s course manager of the hospitality and tourism management diploma, noted that the STB’s marketing efforts could have paid off in the Chinese and Indian markets.
“STB has always been mindful of looking at the Chinese market, so they have a few initiatives whereby they try to make things friendlier by having Chinese characters on brochures and their website. That’s something that STB has been trying to do, and it’s taking effect now,” said Ms Tee. She added that the tourism board’s S$20 million global marketing campaign - launched in May – could also have contributed to the uptick.
Asked if this could be the start of a sustained rebound for the tourism sector, Ms Tee said that data from subsequent months was needed, before a trend could be observed.
Hotel occupancy and average room rates have also hit by the fall in tourist arrivals. Preliminary estimates from the STB showed that the average occupancy rate between January and May dipped by 1.4 per cent to 83.1 per cent from the same period a year ago. During this period, average room rates fell by 5.7 per cent year-on-year to S$244.90.
The figures come on the back of a dismal performance by the tourism sector last year, where full-year arrivals fell 3.1 per cent — the first decline since 2009 — and spending remained flat compared with the previous year.
Earlier, the STB had 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.
Today, it launched a new S$10 million fund for businesses. The goal: to develop new tourism experiences that will enhance overall visitor experience and satisfaction in Singapore.
The Experience Step-Up Fund (ESF) comes under the Tourism Product Development Scheme, and together with its launch, the STB is also calling for proposals for tour development and technology initiatives
“Increasingly, travellers are seeking varied and engaging experiences that allow them to gain a deeper appreciation and understanding of our stories and heritage. They’re not just going for run-of-the-mill city tours but unique ones like back-of-house visits, precinct or interest-based tours,” said Ms Choo Huei Miin, director of visitor experience and capability development at STB, in a media release.
She added: “Through the ESF, which is underpinned by STB’s Quality Tourism strategy, we aim to spur tourism businesses to create and deliver more and better experiential offerings that add to Singapore’s overall destination attractiveness. Tourism businesses are also encouraged to adopt innovative technology solutions to up their game.”
