Singapore sees tourism recovery in 2023 thanks to China, Indonesia, Malaysia visitors

The number in 2023 met Singapore Tourism Board’s (STB) forecast of between 12 million and 14 million visitors.

Indonesia – 2.3 million

China -1.4 million

Malaysia – 1.1 million

Australia – 1.1 million

United States – 642,000

South Korea – 571,000

Singapore’s tourism receipts are expected to register S$24.5 billion (US$18.2 billion) to S$26 billion for 2023, which exceeds STB’s forecast of between S$18 billion to S$21 billion.

This is about 88 to 94 per cent of 2019 levels, according to figures released by STB on Thursday.

Tourism receipts reached S$20.1 billion between January to September 2023. The final figures for tourism receipts will be available in the second quarter of 2024.

For the first nine months of 2023, China, Indonesia, and Australia generated the most tourism receipts, contributing S$2.3 billion, S$2.2 billion, and S$1.5 billion respectively, excluding sightseeing, entertainment, and gaming.

Sightseeing, entertainment, and gaming are excluded in the country analysis of tourism receipts due to commercial sensitivities, said STB.

STB also said visitors spent more time in Singapore compared to before the pandemic. The average length of stay in 2023 was around 3.8 days, an increase compared to 3.4 days for the same period in 2019.

“Singapore’s tourism sector recovered strongly and demonstrated resilience with a solid performance for 2023,” STB said.

STB said it expects the tourism sector’s recovery to continue in 2024, driven by improved global flight connectivity and capacity, as well as the implementation of the mutual 30-day visa-free travel between China and Singapore.

Singapore and China had agreed to a 30-day mutual visa-free entry for their citizens last week.

Under the agreement, Singaporeans and Chinese citizens