SINGAPORE: Bloomberg reported that Singapore is leading the rest of the globe when it comes to the number of tourists from China, according to local news today.
The Singapore Tourism Board said last week that over 327,000 Chinese visitors arrived in Singapore in February, meaning China has overtaken Indonesia as Singapore’s biggest source of tourists.
The recent influx of visitors from China may just be the beginning, as the number of departure seats for the first quarter of 2024 is now at 101 per cent of 2019 levels, Bloomberg added in a March 20 report, citing data from top aviation analytics firm Cirium.
Singapore’s number of Chinese visitors is much higher than the projections for Europe, where the number of visitors this year is expected to be only 60 per cent of 2019’s numbers.
Meanwhile, in the United States, this year’s total number of arrivals from China is only expected to be 73 per cent of pre-pandemic numbers, partially because of tensions between the two nations.
“Singapore’s decision to drop visa requirements for visitors from China, its focus on safety and a push into unique cultural and entertainment events positioned it to benefit as the world’s second most populous country reopened after years of gruelling Covid controls.
The moves came together over the Chinese New Year holiday when many travellers flocked to visit family and friends who had relocated to the city-state in recent years,” Bloomberg noted.
Not only are there more visitors to Singapore from China, but they are also spending more.
Mr Edmund Ong, the general manager of online travel agency Trip.com in Singapore, told Bloomberg that the average expenditure per visitor has been increasing despite China’s sluggish economy.
Nevertheless, recent reports have said that some Chinese tourists are finding Singapore too expensive, and some have wondered in online posts if the city is worth a visit. Singapore, after all, is considered to be one of the most expensive cities in the world.
Another factor in Singapore’s favour is the high level of safety in the Little Red Dot. The report added that, in contrast, there have been recent safety incidents in Thailand. With Chinese tourists concerned about crime, Singapore has remained a top choice.
The report quotes Chin-Hao Huang, associate professor of political science at NUS Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy and Yale-NUS College, saying:
“Singapore is always seen as a trusted and reliable partner of the Chinese government and the Chinese people.” /TISG
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