Singapore

Arrivals from Singapore to China reached 535,000 in 2024, up from 260,000 in 2023, according to Oxford Economics. Hilton Hotels saw a 48% jump in travel from Singapore to Beijing during Dec 2024, 81% to Shanghai and 87% to Guangzhou. Chan Brothers have seen a 5X increase in bookings to China since 2023, with younger generations interested in travelling. As well as Shanghai and Beijing, Singaporean travellers are also looking at Xinjiang, Qinghai, Gansu and Inner Mongolia. Trip.com Singapore also reported that searches for flights from Singapore to China have doubled from 1 Jan to 25 Mar YoY. Booking.com also noted that over the past year, searches for China saw the second largest increase, behind Vietnam in first place, and Japan third place

Switzerland Tourism conducted the Tourism Monitor Switzerland survey to understand the tourists’ motivations, preferences, and behaviours. The research surveyed over 20,000 tourists from 147 source markets in 600 municipalities. Switzerland Tourism’s Chief Marketing Officer (east) said insights from the survey will help them to intensify their Travel Better strategy in 2025. He said Travel Better prioritises travel experience and sustainability. He said sustainable travel is among the 5 core pillars and important aspects of Switzerland Tourism’s Swisstainable program. In 2024, Switzerland recorded a 12% YoY drop in overnight tourists from Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines. Singapore was the top source market for the country with 30% overnight tourists in 2024. In 2024, Switzerland recorded 737,229 overnight tourists

The Department of Tourism of Bhutan and Drukair - Royal Bhutan Airlines are organising the Discover Bhutan Exhibition. A 3D model of Paro Taktsang (Tiger’s Nest) and visuals showcasing Bhutan’s natural beauty are on display at Changi Airport Terminal 3 until 6 Apr

A2A Safaris (A2A), a luxury travel company based in Singapore, is recording strong bookings for safari with +26% of pre-pandemic levels in bookings in 2024. The bookings are expected to surpass this growth in 2025 as Asia, which is traditionally a smaller market for African safaris compared to North America and Europe, is gaining importance. A2A added India and Bhutan to its Wild Asia portfolio. A2A is looking to expand to South Korean tourists. Singaporeans are increasingly interested in East African countries such as Rwanda or Uganda to witness the great migration and visit gorillas

The Immigration & Checkpoints Authority reported that travellers driving into Malaysia can expect a 2 hour wait to reach Woodlands, due to the school holidays

The Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority (BTEA) took part in the NATAS 2025 travel fair to position Bahrain as a premier destination for MICE. BTEA met with the Singapore Association of Convention & Exhibition Organisers & Suppliers (SACEOS) to strengthen cooperation and improve industry relations

Visa published a report on Singapore tourists' outbound travel and spending habits. The report found Singaporeans recorded a record level of outbound spending in Dec 2024 and during the Chinese New Year in Feb 2025. The report found during the 2024 year end travel; 61% of the travel spend went to shopping and dining lodging and airline booking recorded strong YoY growth Retail spending recorded +14% YoY Restaurant and fast food recorded +27% and +30% respectively The top 5 countries for outbound cross-border spending are Malaysia, Japan, Thailand, South Korea, and Australia travel spend in China recorded +86% YoY Malaysia is the top travel destination for Singaporeans Kuala Lumpur, Johor Bahru, Cameron Highlands, Bangkok, Bali, and Kota Tinggi are the top visited cities for Singaporeans Singaporeans' card spending in Japan grew 138% vs pre-pandemic levels Japan and Thailand become key travel destinations compared to 2023 The UK, US, and France also attracted high-spending travellers An increasing number of Singaporeans are seeking medical services abroad, with South Korea and Thailand emerging as health-care driven destinations. South Korea recorded +58% YoY in healthcare-related travel spending Japan and Thailand recorded +42% and +29% YoY in travel spending by Singaporeans Malaysia recorded +75% YoY in food and grocery spending For the Chinese New Year holiday; Indonesia took the 4th place as the top travel destination, replacing South Korea Singaporeans cross-border spending recorded +22% YoY e-Commerce spending recorded +30% YoY Payment volume in Malaysia recorded +57% YoY Jewellery stores in Malaysia were the top growing category with +220% YoY Japan was the second preferred destination for Singaporeans During the ski season, cross-border spending recorded +36% YoY Thailand’s healthcare spending recorded +59% YoY

Asia is becoming a growing tourism source market for Malta. Malta Tourism Authority CEO said that Qatar Airways’ resumption of flight service in Jul will provide an important gateway to the country. He said flight connections with China, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, and Malaysia are “very good”. He said they recorded 50,000 tourist arrivals from Asia and it can increase to 150,000-200,000 especially with strong growth in China and Singapore, and any Asian countries that has visa-free entry to Malta