Singapore sees fewer Indian tourists

The figures released show that the number of Indian tourists to Singapore had dropped. In 2019, the pre-Covid year, 1.42 million Indian tourists visited Singapore, the number came down to 54,000 in 2021

PRAVASISAMWAD.COM

The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) recently released numbers that show how Covid-19 impacted tourism in the city-state, reported ANI.

The figures released show that the number of Indian tourists to Singapore had dropped. In 2019, the pre-Covid year, 1.42 million Indian tourists visited Singapore, the number came down to 54,000 in 2021.

Singapore had only 330,000 international visitors in 2021, the lowest on record. It was less than two per cent of the 19.1 million tourists who visited the city in 2019. However, 2020 was a better year with 2.7 million visitors but most arrived in the first two months of the year before Covid forced Singapore to close its borders, said Lee Kah Whye, in an article.

Singapore saw 88,000 visitors from China, 54,000 from India, and 33,000 from Indonesia. During the last pre-Covid year, 2019, the top three sources of visitors was similar. Singapore drew 3.64 million visitors from China, 3.08 million from Indonesia, with India rounding up the top three with 1.42 million visitors, wrote Whye.

Singapore which hosted Formula One’s first-ever night race in 2008 cancelled the races in 2020 and 2021 due to Covid. Due to the ongoing pandemic, the organisers are working with relevant government agencies and industry stakeholders to refine and implement appropriate protocols to ensure the safety of fans and participants for this year’s race

STB said that while the numbers in 2020 and 2021 represented only a fraction of Singapore’s tourism performance prior to the pandemic, it was encouraged by the signs of recovery. The last three quarters of 2021 saw year-on-year growth of 221 per cent in tourist arrivals compared with the same period in 2020.

There was also a government grant to the tourism industry through Singapore Rediscover Vouchers (SRV) where each resident was given SGD 100 to spend on local attractions and experiences. STB reported that by the end of the SRV scheme on December 31, 2021, there were about 2.6 million SRV-linked transactions amounting to almost SGD 300 million, of which SGD 180 million were vouchers redemptions and SGD 120 million paid in cash. To further boost the cruise industry, STB has planned cruises to other Southeast Asian countries later in the year.

Singapore which hosted Formula One’s first-ever night race in 2008 cancelled the races in 2020 and 2021 due to Covid. Due to the ongoing pandemic, the organisers are working with relevant government agencies and industry stakeholders to refine and implement appropriate protocols to ensure the safety of fans and participants for this year’s race.

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