Tourist arrivals expected to increase due to integrated resorts

SINGAPORE: Tourism in Singapore is expected to experience a boom this year thanks to the opening of the integrated resorts.

Industry players say there are now over 950 travel agents in Singapore - an increase of over 100 from the previous year.

Travel agents told MediaCorp that there are now more queries on visiting Universal Studios Singapore.

Some operators are also increasing investments to expand their businesses and gain a bigger share of the tourism dollar.

The two integrated resorts are expected to bring in more tourists to Singapore in the next one to two years.

However, what is important is to entice tourists to stay one more night, which can help the tourism industry to reap more profits.

Tourists currently stay for about three nights.

"Right now, we are only getting about 10 million tourist arrivals," said Robert Khoo, chief executive officer at NATAS.

"I'm sure we can cater to a lot more. And I believe the Tourism Board has a much higher target for 2015. So I think there is still a lot of room for growth."


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Tourist arrivals down 4.3%

THE number of visitors to Singapore fell by 4.3 per cent last year to 9.7 million, driving the revenue from the sector down 19 per cent to S$12.4 billion, the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) said on Tuesday.

The number was still slightly higher than the STB's target of 9 to 9.5 million visitors, which, analysts said, was conservative.

The tourism industry fell short of 700,000 tourists in 2008 - the first time it missed its targets since annual goals were set in 2003.

But the outlook is brightening. Tourist arrivals in December reached 971,000 - the highest monthly level ever recorded. This added to the turnaround in the last quarter of the year, said STB chief Aw Kah Peng on Tuesday.

'It is a significant drop. But if you think about how airfares and, particularly accommodation, have fallen, those categories would have contributed to more than a 20 per cent drop,' she said, citing the global recession and H1N1 flu pandemic as the main culprits. 'Therefore, immediately it has a drag on total toruism receipts. So in that sense, we are not particularly surprised that our receipts have come down.'

Ms Aw said targets for 2010 would be announced in early March.


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Singapore tourist arrivals increase

Singapore - Visitor arrivals to Singapore in November registered their highest growth for the year, increasing by 8.4 per cent year-on-year to 830,000 visitors. Visitors from Malaysia increased by 36.8 per cent, Germany 21.7 per cent, Australia 13.8 per cent, Vietnam 12.4 per cent, the United States 11.6 per cent and the Philippines 10.5 per cent, the Singapore Tourism Board said in a statement on Monday.

Visitor days saw their first year-on-year growth for the year in November, increasing by 0.7 per cent to 3.1 million days.

The top tourist generating markets were Indonesia with 143,000 visitors, China (90,000), Malaysia (83,000), Australia (69,000), and India (50,000). These five markets accounted for 52 per cent of the total visitors in November.

The November average hotel room occupancy rate was 84.3 per cent, up by 3.8 per cent from a year ago.

The November average room rate was estimated at 198 Singapore dollars, a decline of 15.1 per cent from November 2008, it said, adding that hotel room revenue dropped by 9.8 per cent year on year to 148 million Singapore dollars for November 2009.


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STB optimistic that tourist arrivals will be better in 2010

SINGAPORE: The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) expects more holiday makers and business travellers to come to Singapore next year.

STB said it is cautiously optimistic that tourist arrivals in 2010 will surpass this year's 9 to 9.5 million visitors.

Among its trump cards will be the two integrated resorts and the Formula One Grand Prix.

High octane events like the F1 race have revved up the tourism scene in Singapore. It has also spiced up the nightlife, with F1 Rocks concerts attracting some 30,000 party goers in September.

In view of the good response, the Singapore Tourism Board aims to do more next year.

Aw Kah Peng, chief executive, Singapore Tourism Board, said: "It broadens the market and opens it up. Will we do a bit more in terms of art, whether it's photo exhibition, sculptures and so on? Yes, it's possible.

"Will we have things that involve the drivers and the cars? Possible too. We are working a lot of ideas on the ground."

Apart from the leisure events, there will also be a strong pipeline of conferences in 2010, including the Singapore International Water Week.

The event attracted more than 10,000 participants and saw S$2.2 billion worth of deals sealed this year.

STB added: "We are seeing some interesting trends. Next year, you will see about three times as many business events that are newly created compared to this year and it's because people see the opportunity for growth in Asia."

Asia is likely to be where most of the visitors will be coming from. STB said currently, almost all of its top 10 markets are Asian, making up 70 per cent of total arrivals to Singapore.

And what's a visit to Singapore without visiting the two aces in the pack - the integrated resorts? Each attraction is expected to contribute a value add of S$2.7 billion or 0.8 per cent to Singapore's GDP.

With economic recovery underway, their prospects look bright. But some observers said it is too early to tell if they will live up to expectations.

Neo Boon Siong, director, Asia Competitiveness Institute, said: "We have a lot more competition now in Macau and elsewhere. So I think you have some positive effects, but it may take a while for us to learn how to reach those new tourist markets.

"It will not be an immediate big bang, I suspect. There will be incremental activities, but it will be largely an experimental market for the next couple of years."

And Singapore being plugged into the world could be exposed to some downside risks ahead.

Song Seng Wun, regional economist, CIMB-GK Research, said: "It could be US unemployment rising far more sharply then expected. Unemployment rate is already 10 per cent and it could go higher and for longer as well.

"That certainly means that one engine of global growth - the US economy - will be a big drag; others can be, say, asset bubble bursting."

Despite the uncertainties, STB is cautiously optimistic about 2010. One key challenge though is manpower training and raising service standards. - CNA/vm


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Visitor Arrivals In Singapore Were Down By 11.5%, To Just 4.51mn In January To June 2009

Short-Term Outlook Negative… Singapore’s tourism industry experienced a difficult first half to 2009. Visitor arrivals were down by 11.5%, to just 4.51mn in January-June. The Singapore Tourist Board (STB) attributed the poor performance primarily to the global economic crisis, but with arrivals from China and Japan also reduced due to the effects of the H1N1 (swine flu) pandemic.

Over the first six months of 2009, Singapore’s top five visitor-generating markets were Indonesia (766,000), China (457,000), Australia (376,000), India (361,000) and Malaysia (317,000), accounting for over 50% of the total. Vietnam (up 13.4%), the Philippines (up 3%), Malaysia (up 1.8%) and Germany (up 1.3%) were the fastest growing source markets in H109, which the STB attributed to strong marketing campaigns and, in the case of Vietnam, aggressive airline promotions.

Given this disappointing start to the year, we have made downward revisions to our forecasts for arrivals data this year. From a previous forecast of 9.9mn visitors, we now believe that 9.12mn is more likely.

…But Longer-Term Prognosis Remains Positive Although 2009 will be difficult for Singapore’s tourism industry, there are reasons to remain positive for the medium-to-long term, as the global economy recovers. In particular, the opening of the two integrated resorts, at Marina Bay in 2009 and Sentosa in 2010, should help the island attract new tourists. Also, in 2011 Singapore will host the first Youth Olympics and open a new International Cruise Terminal.

Integrated Resorts Opening Soon In June, the first details surrounding some of the hotel rooms on offer at the new SGD6.59bn Sentosa integrated resort were unveiled. Showrooms for the Maxims Tower, Hotel Michael, Festive Hotel and the Hard Rock Hotel Singapore were opened for public viewing. The 120-room Maxims Tower and 470- room Hotel Michael are both pitched at the luxury end of the market. The 398-room Festive Hotel is pitched at the family market, with brightly coloured décor and loft sleeping areas in the bedrooms for children. The 364-room Hard Rock Hotel Singapore is pitched at the young adult market. The other two hotels at the resort are the Equarius Hotel and Spa Villas. Bookings for the hotels opened in H209. Other attractions at Sentosa will include a Universal Studios theme park, a casino and the world’s largest oceanarium. BMI believes this and other new resorts will do much to significantly boost Singapore’s tourism industry from 2010 onwards.

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Singapore tourist arrivals rise 7.1 percent in September, first increase in 2009

SINGAPORE — Singapore tourist arrivals rose in September for the first time this year, boosted by holidays in neighboring Indonesia and Malaysia.

Singapore received 799,000 tourists last month, up 7.1 percent from last year, the Singapore Tourism Board said Tuesday. Arrivals fell 5.3 percent from August, the board said.

Arrivals from Indonesia — Singapore's biggest source of tourists — jumped 51 percent and those from Malaysia increased 27 percent as the Hari Raya holidays fell in September this year and October last year.

Singapore hosted its second Formula One Grand Prix race in September, the only night race on the tour.

Singapore's economy, which relies on trade, finance and tourism, emerged from recession in the third quarter. The government expects the economy to shrink up to 2.5 percent this year after growing 1.1 percent last year.

Hotel revenue fell 28 percent to $140 million Singapore dollars ($100 million) in September as hotels slashed room rates 31 percent to attract customers, the board said.

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Tourist arrivals fall 11.5%

THE downtrend in tourism numbers continued in June, leading to an expected overall decline in tourist arrivals and spending in Singapore.

Some 4.5 million tourists came to Singapore between January and June, a year-on-year decline of 11.5 per cent. Tourist spend for the same period also fell 13.5 per cent to reach $6.4 billion, according to the latest report by Singapore Tourism Board released on Thursday.

Indonesians were the biggest spenders, splurging slightly over $1 billion, followed by the Chinese who spent $575 million, Australians ($444 million) and Indians ($431 million). STB expects these top spenders to continue to generate the biggest income for the rest of the year.

Visitors from Hong Kong declined 3 per cent from last year but they made up in terms of spending some 11.3 per cent more than they did last year.

Numbers for the hotel industry continued to reflect the beating it has taken in the last half year. Average occupancy rate for the entire six months fell 11.1 percentage points from last year to hit 72 per cent. Average room rate fell 21.3 per cent to reach $195 and overall room revenue fell 33.2 per cent to hit $721 million.

STB is holding on to its initial projections of 9 to 9.5 million visitor arrivals who are expected to spend $12 billion to $12.5 billion, saying "travellers are expected to stay cautious as uncertainties continue around Influenza A (H1N1) and the general economic condition".

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Singapore tourist arrivals fall 12 pct in 1H

SINGAPORE -- Singapore tourist arrivals dropped in the first half of the year as travelers cut back on trips amid a global recession.

The city-state had 4.5 million tourists in the first six months of 2009, representing a 11.5 percent decline from the same period last year, the Singapore Tourism Board said Thursday. Revenue from tourism fell 13.5 percent to 6.4 billion Singapore dollars ($4.4 billion) in the January-June period, the board said.

The slump in tourism helped shrink the economy for a year until gross domestic product grew an annualized, seasonally adjusted 20 percent in the second quarter.

The board reiterated its target for tourist income between SG$12 billion and SG$12.5 billion this year compared to SG$14.8 billion last year. It aims to attract 9 million and 9.5 million tourists in 2009 versus 10.1 million in 2008.

In June, arrivals dropped 8.9 percent to 750,000 from 823,000 a year earlier. Arrivals in June rose 3.3 percent from May.

The board said hotel revenue fell 35 percent to SG$115 million ($80 million) in June from SG$177 million a year earlier.

The average hotel room rate fell to SG$179 in June, down 28 percent from a year earlier.

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