Singapore had a 21.5-percent year-on-year rise in visitor volume in 2024, taking the 12-month tally to 16.53 million, according to data from the Singapore Tourism Board.
Of that headline figure, 12.43 million arrivals involved people staying overnight, up 21.2 percent year-on-year, and the overnighters were 75.2 percent of all entries.
Average length of stay during the 2024 calendar year was 3.56 days, a figure that was down 6.2 percent year-on-year.
The 2024 tally of visitors from mainland China was 3.08 million, or 18.6 percent of Singapore’s annual total. That figure for Chinese mainlanders was up 126.0 percent year-on-year.
In February last year, the city-state of Singapore and China agreed to a 30-day mutual visa-free entry system for their citizens. The arrangement began on February 9, 2024, the eve of the lunar new year last time.
Singapore has a casino duopoly consisting of Resorts World Sentosa, run by Genting Singapore Ltd, and Marina Bay Sands Ltd, run by a unit of Las Vegas Sands Corp.
In a separate press release on Tuesday, the Singapore authorities said tourism receipts for the first nine months of 2024 reached SGD22.4 billion (US$16.5 billion), up circa 10 percent compared to the same period in 2023.
The tourism board said all spending categories showed year-on-year growth, led by ‘sightseeing, entertainment and gaming’, at circa 25 percent, followed by accommodation spending at circa 25 percent.
Mainland China, Indonesia, and Australia emerged as the top tourism receipt-generating markets, contributing SGD3.58 billion, SGD2.13 billion, and SGD1.44 billion respectively, excluding the sightseeing, entertainment and gaming category.
The statement quoted Melissa Ow, Singapore Tourism Board’s chief executive, as saying the 2024 performance was “an affirmation of the industry’s efforts in refreshing our products and experiences, as well as embarking on new collaborations”.
She added: “Collectively, these efforts elevated Singapore’s destination appeal and strengthened the sector’s capabilities and competitiveness.”
