Singapore

The Singapore Tourism Board is looking at source markets beyond Jakarta to further the Indonesian tourism market. They are looking to raise awareness of Singapore in other cities like Bandung, Yogyakarta, Surabaya, Padang and Medan. Indonesian travellers generated $1.59 billion USD in tourism receipts for Singapore from Jan-Sep 2024, excluding Sightseeing, Entertainment and Gaming

The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) projects international arrivals to Singapore to reach nearly 16 million in 2025, +9.6% vs pre-pandemic levels of 2019

Singapore travel agency Dynasty Travel to launch a new travel fair called “Blink”, which will be held from 22-23 Feb and 28 Feb-2 Mar

Elton John and South Korean rapper G-Dragon will be performing at the Formula 1 Singapore Airlines Singapore Grand Prix 2025 in Oct

PM Wong announced the SG Culture Pass in his Budget 2025 speech. Singaporeans aged 18 and above can use $100 SGD in credits to offset ticket purchases for cultural performances, museum exhibitions and more from Sep 2025, with credits valid until end-2028

Singapore Tourism Board said the country recorded 1.63 million tourist arrivals in Jan, +17.3% MoM and +14.8% YoY. 73% of the visitors or 1.19 million were overnight visitors, +24% MoM and +10.3% YoY. The top three source markets are; China, 376,470 tourists with 3.66 days average stay Indonesia, 251,770 Australia, 141,340

Prime Minister unveiled $143.1 billion budget, +6.6% YoY to address cost pressures including $123.8 billion, +9.6% YoY for expenditure of various ministries

The Prime Minister told the government to speed up the efforts to decarbonise the transport sector, which accounts for 15% of Singapore’s total emissions. Singapore is aiming to have 100% cleaner energy vehicles by 2040. In 2024, around 1/3rd of the vehicles were Electric and 50% were hybrid. Singapore is taking steps to protect against climate risks and will employ coastal solutions such as a reclaimed island called Long Island at East Coast Park’s shoreline. The Prime Minister announced a $5 billion top-up for the Coastal and Flood Protection Fund

The Prime Minister announced companies in Singapore will receive a 50% corporate income tax rebate in the 2025 year of assessment due to the higher cost of rent and labour. Eligible companies will receive a $2,000 SGD cash grant even if they are not profitable given they are active and employed at least one local worker in 2024. Total benefit for a company including cash grant and rebate will be capped at $40,000 SGD. The government will increase its co-funding level for the Progressive Wage Credit scheme to 40% from 30%, and it will be 20% in 2026 an increase from 15%. In 2024, government co-funded 50%

A SkillsFuture initiative provides a $300 SGD allowance per month to mid-career workers above 40 years old who enrolled in part-time training. For full-time courses, the allowance is set at 50% of a person’s average income over the latest 12-month period capped at $3,000 SGD a month

The Malaysian government is finalising the parameters for the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore High-Speed Rail project which will be led by private companies

Marina Bay Sands (MBS) has received a $12 billion multi-tranche loan for its expansion project. DBS Group Holdings, Malayan Banking, OCBC Bank, and UOB were the coordinating banks for the credit facility. The loan will be used to fund the expansion of MBS which was initially estimated at $3.4 billion USD in 2019 but increased to $8 billion USD

Trip.com group published its 2025 APAC travel trends. The report surveyed 6,000 respondents across Asia Pacific including Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Japan, South Korea and Hong Kong. The survey found: - Movies, TV series, or social media play an important role in travellers’ decision-making, with those in the 25-34 year old age group showing the highest interest. Nearly half of those aged above 65 said they are influenced by what they watch - 45% of respondents are influenced by TikTok, with Tokyo and Kyoto the most visited spots. Social media plays an important role in booking decisions by younger travellers from Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, and Thailand - Many people are looking to try local cuisine at their destination. 60% of Trip.com users have searched for food-related content on its platform since Jan 2024. The top food experiences are food festivals (62%), hotel dining (60%), and street food tours (57%). Gen Z and millennials are attracted to food festivals while millennials prefer more diverse and unique dining options. Japanese and South Korean tourists prefer hotel dining while Hong Kong, Singapore, and Thailand prefer food festivals and street food tours - 66% of the respondents are willing to travel for concerts and plan their holidays around concerts - Football, basketball, and Formula 1 are the most preferred live sports - For cruise tourism, 44% of the respondents are motivated by onboard dining options, 38% for all-inclusive packages, and 31% for live shows or entertainment - For niche experience, 37% prefer activities with dark sky stargazing, 30% for underwater hotel stays, 20% for cultural immersion stays, and 13% for space tourism and rural glamping

The Chinatown Business Association has announced that it will rejuvenate Smith Street to be a space for new accommodation options, 5 new F&b outlets and a studio for kebaya-renting, to create a new “cultural heart of Chinatown”

The Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) recorded 230 million travellers in 2024, surpassing pre-pandemic levels. The land checkpoint crossings accounted for 75% of the total travellers. On 20 Dec, land crossing reached 562,000 travellers, the highest recorded. As of 31 Jan, 47 million travellers cleared immigration without presenting their passports. Passport-less clearance at Changi Airport has reduced average clearance time by 60%, from 25 seconds to 10 seconds. ICA said 33,100 foreign visitors were denied entry to Singapore in 2024, +16% YoY

The Ministry of Trade and Industry said Singapore’s economy grew 4.4% in 2024, faster than the 1.8% growth in 2023

Klook, supported by the Singapore Tourism Board, will organise Wellness Weekend in Singapore from 22-23 Feb at Duxton Hill, featuring 60 wellness experiences, including Cold Plunges, mindfulness practices, sound healing, and Traditional Chinese Medicine workshops

The NATAS Travel Fair will be organised by the National Association of Travel Agents Singapore from 28 Feb-2 Mar at the Singapore Expo. The event will feature 70 exhibitors and new NTOs exhibiting, including Cambodia, Georgia, and the Saudi Tourism Authority

The National Basketball Association (NBA), Sport Singapore (SportSG), and the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) will collaborate to host NBA events in Singapore. The first event will be held in Jun with the first annual NBA Rising Stars Invitational, the league’s first regional high-school basketball tournament featuring boys’ and girls’ teams from 10 countries and territories across Asia Pacific. The teams will compete at the Kallang Alive Precinct from 25-29 Jun

Resorts World One cruise ship will be homeport in Singapore for a limited season. The ship will depart on 7, 11, 15, and 19 Mar from the Singapore Cruise Centre to Krabi and Penang

Mandai’s Rainforest Wild Asia will be open on 12 Mar. Mandai said it will be the first ‘adventure-based zoo’ in Asia. The zoo will house over 25 animal species

Resorts World Cruises renamed the Star Scorpio as Star Voyager and will be deployed from 26 Mar-21 Jul. Singapore will be the main homeport while Jakarta, Melaka, Bangkok, and HCMC will be serving as dual homeports. The ship will sail between, Medan, Pulau Redang, and Koh Samui. The ship will be departing from; - Singapore from 26 Mar-21 Jul - Jakarta from 29 Mar-13 Apr and 14-29 Jun - Bangkok (via Laem Chabang Port) from 22 Apr-7 May - Melaka (via ICQS Cruise Terminal) from 28 May-9 Jun - HCMC (via Phu My Port) from 9-24 Jul

Singapore discovered a diesel oil leak due to a damaged shore fuel hose which used to refuel patrol craft at the Police Coast Guard’s Brani Base near Sentosa. The authorities isolated the leak after 4 hours and deployed spill response resources to clean up the site. No oil slicks were found and the Sentosa beaches remain open

Singapore’s hotels in 2024 saw RevPAR increase by 3% YoY to $226 SGD, with occupancy at 81.8%. 1,494 additional hotel keys are expected in 2025

Coldplay’s new music video for Man In The Moon was filmed in Singapore, with iconic sights like Marina Bay Sands in the background. It was filmed during their tour in Singapore in January 2024 in conjunction with Warner Music Singapore

Urban Redevelopment Authority will carry out two schemes, the Central Business District Incentive (CBDI) and Strategic Development Incentive (SDI), to rejuvenate Singapore’s city centre by creating more homes and redeveloping older commercial buildings in the central business district

Singapore Tourism Board (STB) has suspended UFO Traveler Pte Ltd from operating as a travel agency from 28 Jan for the company’s failure to submit audited statements within the required timeframe. The suspension will remain in place until The UFO Traveler submits its AA or for a maximum of 6 months

Alipay said China’s outbound and inbound travel transactions over the 2025 Chinese New Year from 28-30 Jan recorded +30% YoY, while spending between 28-30 Jan recorded +150% YoY. Alipay recorded a +56% YoY in total spending in Singapore. Malaysia, Hong Kong, and South Korea also ranked in the top 5 destinations

Agoda published the top 5 travel habits of Asian Gen Z travellers (aged 18-27). The study found; - Social media is the top source for travel inspiration with 20% choosing TikTok and 14% choosing Instagram. But, 17% of the respondents still rely on word-of-mouth despite the digital influence - 20% of the respondents book flights less than a week in advance and 25% book accommodations at the last hours - 38% prefer to travel with a partner. Group trips with friends and family also rank high. Millennials prefer to travel with family - For spending, 56% of Gen Z and 44% of Millennials prefer to keep accommodation costs under $50 USD per person per night. 32% of Gen Z and 41% of Millennials plan to spend between $51-$100 USD per person per night - Nearly 50% of Gen Z and Millennials plan to take 1-3 trips in 2025 while a third of the respondents plan 4-6 trips

Foreign Affairs Minister said Singapore is not likely to be targeted by US tariffs but the country might feel indirect impacts from tariffs

Singapore Tourism Board (STB) said tourism receipts for 2024 are likely to reach its “upper bound forecast”. STB forecasted $27.5-$29 billion SGD of tourism receipts for 2024. From Jan-Sep 2024, tourism receipts reached $22.4 billion SGD, +10% YoY. STB said tourism receipts for 2024 are expected to exceed pre-pandemic levels of $27.7 billion SGD. Full-year 2024 tourism receipts will be available in Q2 2025. Sightseeing, entertainment & gaming recorded +25% YoY growth, accommodation recorded +17% YoY, F&B +6% YoY, and shopping +5% YoY. The top markets which contributed to the highest tourism receipts are; - China, $3.58 billion SGD - Indonesia, $2.13 billion SGD - Australia, $1.44 billion SGD Singapore recorded 16.5 million international tourists in 2024, +21% YoY. The top markets are China, Indonesia, and India, respectively with 3.08 million, 2.49 million, and 1.2 million arrivals. STB attributed attractions like Gardens by the Bay, Sentosa, and Mandai Wildlife Reserve, and events such as Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix 2024 and Singapore Art Week for this increased visitor arrivals. STB said concerts by Coldplay, Ed Sheeran, and Taylor Swift contributed to significant economic benefits. Singapore is expecting 17-18.5 million in visitor arrivals with tourism receipts of $29-$30.5 billion SGD in 2025

Resorts World Cruises is renovating and upgrading its Star Scorpio cruise ship with a 1,800-passenger capacity before it begins to sail on 26 Mar. The ship will homeport in Singapore for a set of voyages until 21 Jul. It will sail to Jakarta, Medan, Malaka, Pulau Redang, Bangkok, Ko Samui, and HCMC. The bookings for the cruise opened in Jan 2025

Singapore Tourism Board (STB) and Gojek signed a Memorandum of Cooperation to leverage Gojek’s Indonesian user base to promote attractions beyond the popular city centre

CEO of Oriental Travel & Tours noted that many Chinese visitors are not first-timers in Singapore and are looking for new experiences, such as a tour to the heartlands, seeing local life, or tours to lesser-known destinations like Pulau Ubin and Kusu Island. The Honorary Secretary at the Society of Tourist Guides Singapore said that Chinese visitors are looking for shorter and more personalised tours, driven by others sharing their experiences on social media platforms like Xiaohongshu (Rednote). Managing Director of hotels Fairmont Singapore and Swissôtel The Stamford reported an increase in family and multigenerational travel from China

Queen Anne cruise ship will visit Asia in 2025 — with stops in Manila, Hong Kong, HCMC, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, and Penang — during its 107-night maiden world cruise. It will arrive in Singapore on 24 Mar and will stay overnight

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) will launch a pilot project of autonomous public buses in Marina Bay, Shenton Way, and Buona Vista. LTA launched a tender seeking proposals from the industry to test autonomous buses and evaluate its feasibility. The pilot will involve six smaller buses with 16 seats, deployed from mid-2026 and operating alongside manned buses for an initial three years

Johor Police Chief said they are expecting a 10%-15% increase in foreign-registered vehicles entering the state during the Chinese New Year celebrations, particularly via the Causeway and the Second Link. He said they are expecting 100,000 vehicles entering the state through all land routes

The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) said the number of retrenchments in 2024 stood at 12,930, down from 14,590 in 2023. The resident unemployment rate increased to 2.8% in 2024, whilst citizen unemployment rate remained unchanged at 2.9%

India and Singapore will celebrate their 60 years of friendship with various programs such as the Gamechangers Studio show, the 60 Insiders Panel, and Hidden Gems musical journey. Singapore launched the Friends of Singapore platform for Indian content creators to uncover Singapore’s travel experiences. Indian tourists can enjoy exclusive privileges through the Just Between Us Friends campaign from Jan-Dec 2025 with popular retail outlets such as CapitaLand Malls, Changi Airport Group, ION Orchard, Jewel Changi Airport, Paragon, and Mustafa offering various promotions. 12 leading travel agencies in India, together with AirIndia, IndiGo, and Singapore Airlines, will also offer various promotions

The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) said that it would “reduce slightly” its policy band, the first policy easing since Mar 2020, with inflation contained and slower economic growth expected in 2025. this move would put the Singapore dollar at a slower pace of appreciation, weakening it

Trip.com reported that inbound booking to Singapore from China is showing strong growth in all categories including accommodations, flights, and attractions for the Chinese New Year period. Primary departure cities are Shanghai, Beijing, and Guangzhou. Bookings from Jinan have also surged, as well as bookings from Hangzhou and Chengdu, which recorded a 66% and 55% increase, respectively. Bookings from Indonesia to Singapore increased by 193% and from Canada 127%. Meanwhile, Singaporeans prefer to visit Malaysia, Thailand, Japan, Indonesia, and China

Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) will host the 2024 Yuewen Global IP Awards. RWS will offer packages for the visitors which include 2 tickets to the award show, a 2-night stay, complimentary breakfast, and 2 Adventure Cove Waterpark tickets for $860 SGD

The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) and the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) said Singapore’s core inflation dropped to 1.8% YoY in Dec 2024 from 1.9% in Nov 2024 due to moderation in services inflation. Core inflation, which excludes accommodation and private transport, increased by 0.5% MoM. Overall inflation remained at 1.6% in Dec 2024. The core inflation for the whole of 2024 averaged 2.7%, compared to the 4.2% recorded in 2023. Accommodation inflation recorded 2.2%. The overall inflation dropped to 2.4% in 2024 from 4.8% in 2023

Komodo, a social media and influencer marketing agency, introduced “The Journey” marketing platform which is designed specifically for the travel sector, with the support of TikTok and Revolut. Singapore Tourism Board (STB) Oceania will be its first client. This marketing will begin in Feb targeting Australia and New Zealand. “The Journey” is the first gamified TikTok mini-series in the work to offer personalised travel experiences