2022 was the year of travel, as we all set out of our homes after a hiatus of two long years. We Indians are always happy to contribute, and we did that even as we travelled. Well, according to the latest data from the Singapore Tourism Board (STB), Singapore reached its tourism goals in 2022 because of Indian visitors. Yes, the data until November shows that Indonesia, India, Malaysia, and Australia contributed to about 48 percent of the total arrivals.
Indians Helped Singapore’s Tourism Goals
The small island country’s tourism goals were met as the number of foreign arrivals reached about 5.37 million (as of November). The Singapore Tourism Board had expected to receive about 4 million to 6 million tourists in July 2022. October and November together saw about 8,16,000 visitors in the island country.
Indians were the major contributors to their numbers reaching this high. They were the second-largest group of tourists to visit Singapore up until November 2022. The total number of Indian visitors in 2022 was 6,12,300. The average length of stay of 8.91 days was also the longest of all. Out of the four countries, on average, Malaysians stayed for 4.28 days, Indonesians for 4.66 days, and Australians stayed for 4.05 days.
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The Numbers Are Less Than Pre-Pandemic Year, 2019
Though Singapore has achieved its goals for the post-pandemic year 2022, the numbers are very low compared to the pre-pandemic year of 2019. Singapore was tagged as the fifth-most visited city in 2019. The small island country had received approximately 19.1 million visitors, the vast majority of whom were Chinese. Back then, about 3.6 million visitors to Singapore were from China.
The country received 986,900 visitors from Indonesia, followed by India with 8,16,000 visitors. Malaysia stood third with 495,470 visitors, and with 476,480 visitors, Australia stood fourth. China announced last week that its visitors will be able to travel abroad again soon. They will be allowed to travel abroad for the first time in three years beginning January 21 (the Lunar New Year). If this happens, Singapore’s tourism might reach a new level in the post-pandemic period of 2023 and achieve more than its tourism goals.
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Where are you travelling to in 2023?
Cover Image Courtesy: Flickr