Visitor arrivals to Singapore reached 9.7 million last year, underscoring the strong performance in the final quarter of 2009 and exceeding the year’s forecast of 9 – 9.5 million visitor arrivals. Tourism receipts from January to December 2009 were estimated at S$12.4 billion, reaching the upper-bound of the forecast of S$12 – S$12.5 billion. Visitor arrivals from Malaysia (+18.0%) and Vietnam (+10.9%) registered a double digit growth,…
Visitor arrivals to Singapore reached 9.7 million last year, underscoring the strong performance in the final quarter of 2009 and exceeding the year’s forecast of 9 – 9.5 million visitor arrivals. Tourism receipts from January to December 2009 were estimated at S$12.4 billion, reaching the upper-bound of the forecast of S$12 – S$12.5 billion.
Visitor arrivals from Malaysia (+18.0%) and Vietnam (+10.9%) registered a double digit growth, attributed in part to aggressive airline and marketing promotions under the Singapore Tourism Board’s “2009 Reasons to enjoy Singapore” global marketing campaign. Hong Kong SAR (+5.9%), Germany (+4.8%) and the Philippines (+3.1%) also registered growth in 2009.
Indonesia (S$2,123 million), P R China (S$1,403 million), Australia (S$934 million), India (S$891 million) and Malaysia (S$673 million) were Singapore’s top five markets in terms of tourism receipts for 2009. These markets accounted for 49% of total tourism receipts during this period. Tourism receipts from visitors from Malaysia (+11%) registered the highest growth from January to December 2009.
Tourism receipts were estimated to reach S$12.4 billion from January to December 2009
Cumulative tourism receipts for January to December 2009 were estimated to reach S$12.4 billion, a decline of 19% compared to the same period in 2008. Indonesia (S$2,123 million), P R China (S$1,403 million), Australia (S$934 million), India (S$891 million) and Malaysia (S$673 million) were Singapore’s top five markets in terms of tourism receipts for 2009. These markets accounted for 49% of total tourism receipts during this period.
Strong growth in visitor arrivals from Malaysia in the second half of 2009 resulted in an 11% growth in tourism receipts. Japan (-30%), Philippines (-28%) and India (-27%) registered the largest declines in tourism receipts in January to December 2009. The decline in tourism receipts across these markets were due to weak travel sentiment and lower discretionary spending.
Spending on accommodation & shopping
During January to December 2009, total visitors’ spending on accommodation and shopping made up 22.0% and 25.0% of total tourism receipts respectively. Compared to 2008, shopping (S$3.1bil) overtook accommodation (S$2.7bil) as the highest expenditure item.
Visitor Arrivals
Visitor arrivals to Singapore exceeds forecast to reach 9.7 million in 2009. Visitor arrivals to Singapore reached 9.7 million in 2009, registering a year-on-year percentage decline of 4.3%.
Visitor days1 were estimated at 39.1 million days, a year-on-year decrease of 5.5% in comparison with January to December 2008.
Visitor Days is the total number of days that international visitors stay in a country outside of their country of residence, whose main purpose of visit is other than the exercise of an activity remunerated from within the country visited. Visitor Days = Visitor Arrivals x Average Length of Stay.
Country Performance
Indonesia, P R China, Australia, India and Malaysia were Singapore’s top five visitor-generating markets. From January to December 2009, Indonesia (1,745,000), P R China (937,000), Australia (830,000), Malaysia (764,000) and India (726,000) were Singapore’s top five visitor-generating markets. These markets accounted for over 50% of total visitor arrivals for 2009.
Among the top 15 markets, Malaysia (+18.0%), Vietnam (+10.9%), Hong Kong SAR (+5.9%), Germany (+4.8%) and the Philippines (+3.1%) registered growth in 2009 over 2008. Double digit growth in Malaysia and Vietnam visitor arrivals can be attributed, in part, to aggressive airline and marketing promotions under the Singapore Tourism Board’s “2009 Reasons to enjoy Singapore” global marketing campaign, as well as strong growth in arrivals on low cost carriers. In addition to being affected by the global economic climate, Singapore’s tourism sector saw visitor arrivals from South Korea, P R China and Japan register the largest declines. Arrivals from South Korea were affected by the weak Korean Won, coupled with the H1N1 outbreak, which also affected the Chinese market.
TravelDailyNews Asia-Pacific editorial team has an experience of over 35 years in B2B travel journalism as well as in tourism & hospitality marketing and communications.
