Chinese tourist arrivals slump; quick rebound not expected

[SINGAPORE] Big-spending tourists from China are becoming a less common sight here, and this could put a dent on the Republic’s tourism earnings

And the falling number of tourists to Singapore from China could take at least another half a year to recover, according to travel agencies.

Preliminary numbers from the Singapore Tourism Board’s (STB) website showed that overall visitor arrivals for January to May were down 1.7 per cent at 6.3 million from a year ago. More starkly, visitor arrivals from China fell a sharp 27.4 per cent in the same period.

According to a recent report from STB, tourist arrivals from China took a hit during the first quarter, diving 14 per cent from a year ago. The finalised numbers for the second quarter are not out yet, but anecdotal evidence from industry players is not encouraging.

Chinese tourist arrivals slump; quick rebound not expected