Singapore Revamps Tourism Program To Attract More Chinese Arrivals

(Photo : Someformofhuman / CC BY-SA 3.0) Marina Bay Sands in Singapore

Singapore revamps its Rediscover Singapore From Your Heart campaign for S$1 million (US$800,000) to attract more Chinese tourists after seeing a decline in Chinese arrivals in the past four months, according to TTG Asia.

The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) has partnered with tourist-oriented organizations including Changi Airport Group, Marina Bay Sands, Resorts World Sentosa and Wildlife Reserves Singapore to launch a five month campaign which will end on October, The Straits Times reported.

Travel agencies from both countries will also be participating in multiple road shows held in China’s major cities to attract more Chinese tourists to the country, China Daily has learned.

In the first half of last year, Singapore saw a 27 percent increase in Chinese arrivals. It was also the first time that the Chinese were recorded as the biggest tourist spenders, overtaking Indonesians, who held the title since 2007, the Asia News Network noted.

STB figures showed that Chinese tourists spent 3 percent more than Indonesians in the first half of last year, equivalent to S$1.52 billion, or roughly US$1.2 billion, excluding spending on entertainment and sightseeing.

However, Singapore has experienced a decrease in Chinese arrivals in recent months. Chinese arrivals in Changi were recorded at 1.87 million, a 1.7 percent decline year on year.

The decline is believed to be caused by the coup d’etat in Thailand as well as the disappearance of the Malaysian Airlines flight MH370, which mostly carried Chinese passengers.

And while tour packages to Southeast Asia cover all three countries, Singapore as a destination country has been affected.

Ngee Ann Polytechnic senior tourism lecturer Michael Chiam believes that it will be better for Singapore to market itself as a single destination country.

“The bulk of Chinese tourists we get today are people who come with large tour groups covering several countries at one time. It is important to build up a group of free and easy travelers who are more inclined to plan their own itineraries,” he said.

Singapore seeks to target Chinese tourists as it is a potentially big market. ETurboNews, a global travel and tourism bulletin said that the World Tourism Organization predicts that China will become the world’s fourth largest tourist-generating country by 2020.

Singapore Revamps Tourism Program To Attract More Chinese Arrivals