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Singapore was among the world’s top five tourist destinations last year in terms of the total number of overnight visitors and their overall spending, according to Mastercard’s latest Global Destination Cities Index.
By overnight visitor tally, it remains the fifth most visited city in the world. Compared to 13.11 million visitors in 2016, Singapore attracted 13.91 million overnight guests in 2017 and this figure is expected to grow by 4.0 percent this year.
The city-state was only bested by Dubai (15.79 million), Paris (17.44 million), London (19.83 million) and Bangkok (20.05 million).
In particular, the research revealed that most overnight guests in Singapore came from Malaysia (5.2 percent), Australia (6.1 percent), India (8.3 percent) and Indonesia (15 percent), with China being the top visitor source at 18.2 percent.
Moreover, Singapore retained its position as the fourth most popular tourist destination by tourist spending. Versus US$15.69 billion in 2016, total expenditure by overnight visitors here rose last year to US$17.02 billion, which is forecasted to increase 7.4 percent by 2018.
The city-state was only surpassed by London (US$17.45 billion), Saudi Arabia’s Mecca (US$18.45 billion) and Dubai with US$29.70 billion.
Mastercard’s research also revealed that overnight visitors stayed in Singapore for 4.3 nights on average, with average spending at US$286 per day.
“Tourism is an important contributor to urban economies and Singapore’s diverse offerings from its vibrant events all-year-round, unique tourist attractions and world-renowned cuisine have enabled the city to hold its place as one of the top five most popular destinations globally,” said Mastercard’s Singapore country manager Deborah Heng.
However, the study noted that guests here only spent about 12 percent of the aforementioned amount on food, which is the smallest proportion versus other cities in Asia. For instance, visitors to Hong Kong spent 22.2 percent on dining, while those who went to Osaka forked out 22.4 percent.
Romesh Navaratnarajah, Senior Editor at PropertyGuru, edited this story. To contact him about this or other stories, email romesh@propertyguru.com.sg
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