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Singapore visitor numbers slip in January despite rise in Indian travellers
SINGAPORE has recorded its first month-on-month decline in international arrivals since the Covid-19 pandemic hammered global travel early last year.
Some 23,150 visitors showed up in January, according to Singapore Tourism Board (STB) data – down by 98.6 per cent on the 1.69 million guests in the year-ago period.
The latest figure marks a 3.6 per cent dip from the 24,010 arrivals clocked in December 2020. The number of international visitors had been on a gradual uptrend since the trough of 750 visitors in April 2020.
The decrease came on the back of fewer arrivals from Singapore’s top two tourism markets. Chinese arrivals fell to 6,600 in January, from 7,660 in the month before, while 2,630 visitors came from Indonesia, down from 4,200 previously.
The drop from these key countries more than offset an increase in arrivals from India, where the number of travellers rose to 3,950, from 2,250 the month prior.
Overall, Singapore welcomed just 5,380 overnight visitors in January, down 99.6 per cent year on year, while the average length of stay was 23.9 days.
The STB defines international visitors as people who spend less than a year in Singapore. It excludes returning residents and pass holders, Malaysians arriving by land, non-resident air and sea crew, and air transit passengers.
Source: https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/government-economy/singapore-visitor-numbers-slip-in-january-despite-rise-in-indian-travellers