Surge in visitor numbers driven by China and ASEAN countries
Singapore’s international visitor arrivals surged to a post-Covid high of 1,436,404 in January 2024, driven by a significant increase in visitors from China. According to figures released by the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) on February 21, the number of tourists from China rose by over 60% to 211,194, compared to 130,207 in December 2023. This increase occurred even before a mutual 30-day visa exemption between Singapore and China, which began in February.
While China showed substantial growth, it still ranked second in terms of the total number of visitors. Indonesia, the largest source of tourists to Singapore, contributed 268,972 visitors, up from 244,343 the previous month.
Overall, visitor arrivals to Singapore in January were up 15.9% from December and represented a 54.2% increase compared to January 2023. Australia followed as the third-largest source of visitors with 124,144 tourists, while Malaysia and India rounded out the top five, contributing 93,387 and 82,117 visitors, respectively.
The STB also highlighted that Singapore is expecting between 15 million and 16 million international visitors in 2024, supported by better global flight connectivity, increased capacity, and the new Singapore-China visa exemption.
