More Gulf tourists head to Singapore

Singapore received 98,574 tourists from the Middle East, mostly the GCC region, in 2007.
This represents a 73% increase over 2002, when there were 57,000 visitors from the Middle East.
Singapore Tourism Board executives said they expected the number of Gulf visitors to the city state to go up in the coming years because of improved air connectivity between the two regions.
More than 4mn passengers use Singapore's Changi Airport every year, with some 70 airlines flying to more than 160 cities in 53 countries.
STB said the introduction of daily direct flights between Doha and Singapore by Qatar Airways and non-stop flights by Singapore Airlines and Emirates between Dubai and the city state had given a further push to tourism.
"We expect more tourists from Qatar and the GCC region this year particularly due to our hosting the Formula 1 World Championship in September," STB executives said at a presentation for Middle East journalists at the Tourism Court on the Sentosa Island here.
The 2008 Formula 1 SingTel Singapore Grand Prix is not only F1's first street race in Asia but also the first-ever night event in its history. To be held on public roads around the Marina Bay precinct, the event is expected to draw over 80,000 spectators.
Singapore received some 10.3mn visitors in 2007, registering a 5.4% growth over 2006. Indonesia, China, Australia, India and Malaysia accounted for 51% of total visitor arrivals.
STB said it is targeting some 17mn visitors by 2015. The city state's government has set up a S$2bn Tourism Development Fund.
Singapore posted an estimated S$13.8bn in tourism receipts in 2007, representing an 11.3% increase over the previous year. This exceeded the target of S$13.6bn and set a new record for tourism receipts.
The hotel industry saw both the average room rate and average occupancy rate setting new highs. The total room revenue was estimated at a record S$1.8bn, an increase of 22.8% over 2006.
The average room rate for 2007 was estimated at S$202, up 23.1% over 2006. The average occupancy rate for hotels was estimated to have reached 87%, a 1.7% increase over the previous year, STB said.