Singapore’s data reveals recovery path

SINGAPORE, 18 January 2023: Singapore’s international visitor arrivals reached 6.3 million in 2022 (just 33% of 2019 IVAs), exceeding the Singapore Tourism Board’s forecast of between 4 and 6 million visitors.

Tourism receipts should reach SGD13.8 to SGD14.3 billion (1) (50 to 52% of 2019 receipts). STB believes tourism activity should recover to pre-pandemic levels by 2024.

Singapore Tourism Board chief executive Keith Tan said: “Our 2022 tourism performance underscores Singapore’s appeal as a leading business and leisure destination for post-pandemic travellers. To sustain our growth in 2023 and beyond, we will expand our partnerships, build up a rich year-round calendar of events, ramp up investment in new and refreshed products and experiences, and continue to support industry efforts to build the capabilities they need to meet consumer demands.”

2022 Tourism Performance

IVAs: Indonesia (1.1 million), India (686,000) and Malaysia (591,000).

Tourism receipts reached SGD8.96 billion between January to September 2022. The top tourism receipts generating markets were Indonesia, India and Australia, which contributed SGD1.1 billion, SGD704 million, and SGD633 million, respectively (excludes sightseeing, entertainment and gaming receipts) (2).

Visitors are also spending more time in Singapore compared to before the pandemic. For the last three quarters of the year (April-December 2022), when Singapore no longer required quarantine for fully-vaccinated travellers, the average stay was approximately 4.81 days (3), considerably higher than 3.36 days for the same period in 2019.                               

2023 Outlook

STB expects tourism recovery to accelerate in 2023 due to increased flight connectivity and capacity fueled by China’s reopening. International visitor arrivals are expected to reach around 12 to 14 million visitors, bringing in approximately SGD18 to 21 billion in tourism receipts – around two-thirds to three-quarters of the levels in 2019.

1 These are preliminary estimates for 2022. The final figure will be available in 2Q 2023.

2 In line with previous practices, STB excludes Sightseeing, Entertainment & Gaming in the country analysis due to commercial sensitivities.

3 Figures are updated as of 17 January 2023.