Singapore eyes 1 million visitors from India

India is currently the third largest source market for visitor arrivals to Singapore, a senior tourism board official said.

“It has been a soft year for Indian arrivals to Singapore. But the Singapore Tourism Board is working with airlines, travel agents and trade partners to finish the year on more than one million visitor arrivals again in 2019,” Singapore Tourism Board’s India, Middle East & South Asia Regional Director GB Srithar said.

In 2018, for the fourth year in a row, India contributed more than a million visitor arrivals to Singapore, he added.

“India is also the number one source market for cruise tourism for Singapore. 160,000 cruise travellers from India visited Singapore in 2018,”Srithar said.

When asked about the factors which make Singapore a preferred destination for visitors from India, he said both countries shared over five decades of very close socio-economic and political ties. Singapore has a high brand affinity with the Indian consumers, he added.

Short flying time is also a huge advantage. Good connectivity with more than 200 weekly flights from India to Singapore, hassle free convenient visa regime for Indian travellers also make Singapore a very attractive destination, Srithar said. On the product side, it offers concentration of a variety of experiences which get rejuvenated every few years, he said.

Currently, leisure is the biggest segment of arrivals, followed by business and MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions) segment, he added.