Singapore pulls ahead in Southeast Asia’s race to win back Chinese tourists

For Madam Zhuo, a native of Xiamen who was visiting her daughter and 10-year-old grandson, comfort is part of Singapore’s allure. The city where her family moved a year ago is much more accessible than other countries, she said, with more than 70 per cent of residents being ethnic Chinese.

“Singapore is very urban, very clean, very expensive,” Zhuo said while walking through Merlion Park, home to the eponymous statue and a prime beneficiary of the travel boom. “Sometimes it feels like China. I can get around in [using] Mandarin and Hokkien.”

“This is a good indication of increased interest from Chinese travellers in visiting Singapore following the implementation of mutual visa-free travel,” said Edmund Ong, the general manager of Trip.com Singapore. “Not only are visitor numbers going up, the average expenditure per traveller is also rising.”

Singapore is also rolling out activities for more westernised Chinese young adults.

Both Yu and Zhuo took direct flights, which are available daily from their cities. Economic headwinds in China and more expensive fares haven’t deterred demand for travel to Singapore.

While air links to most parts of the world from China were disrupted by Covid and are still largely missing, China and Singapore remain well connected. The scheduled seat capacity between the two countries is expected to recover to 101 per cent of 2019 levels in the first quarter of this year, leading recovery among key China outbound travel markets.

“The Singapore-China market advantage is that it is quite well diversified,” said Lim Ching Kiat, executive vice-president, air hub and cargo development at Changi Airport. On top of business and government travel, many people cross the border for family visits, he said.

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