Singapore welcomed 430 million tourist visits in the first quarter of this year, remaining steady compared to the same period last year, with the majority coming from China.
According to a report by Lianhe Zaobao on the 21st, based on the latest data from the Singapore Tourism Board, 1.3 million tourists entered Singapore in March this year, a decrease from March last year. This is mainly because, in March last year, Singapore hosted a series of grand events, including concerts by Taylor Swift and SHINee, as well as the sneaker trend exhibition Sneaker Con SEA, which resulted in 1.48 million tourist entries.
In this year's first quarter, the top three sources of inbound tourists were China, Indonesia, and Malaysia. China was the largest source market, with 831,000 tourists, marking a 6% increase year-on-year. This is primarily driven by the mutual visa exemption policy between China and Singapore, coinciding with the Chinese New Year holiday and the winter break of public schools in China in January, prompting many Chinese visitors to travel to Singapore during this period.
Notable Growth in Japanese Tourists
Japan became the market with the most significant growth in inbound tourists in the first quarter, with an increase of 17% year-on-year, reaching 161,000. Since July last year, the Singapore Tourism Board has partnered with the travel platform Klook to attract more Japanese tourists to visit Singapore through curated leisure experiences and encourage them to spend locally.
In the upcoming three months, Singapore will host more events to attract tourists. These include the Lady Gaga concert at the National Stadium on May 18, 19, 21, and 24, and the Southeast Asia International Semiconductor Exhibition from May 20 to 22, which is expected to attract over 18,000 representatives, along with the Singapore Football Festival from July 23 to 27.