According to Chang Chee Pey, Executive Director South Asia, Middle East & Africa and Planning Projects, STB, the destination forecasts 2013 tourism receipts to be in the range of US$23.5 to US$24.5 billion (an increase of about 2.2 to 6.5 per cent from 2012), and visitor arrivals of about 14.8 to 15.5 million (an increase of about 2.8 to 7.6 per cent from 2012). Imaginably, India will contribute a sizable chunk to the same. India contributed US$1.1 billion in terms of tourism receipts in 2011, which represented a 21 per cent increase over 2010.
“In 2011, India was the fifth largest source market for Singapore in terms of visitors. Singapore received a total of 869,000 Indian tourists in 2011, displaying a 5 per cent year‐on‐year growth. In terms of tourism receipts (TR) contribution, India contributed 5 per cent to the global TR and is the third most important market after Indonesia and China. For the first three quarters of 2012, 670,000 Indian tourists visited Singapore, representing a 4 per cent increase,” said Pey.
STB has remained unfased by the decline in the Indian Rupee. Speaking of the situation, Pey stated that, although the Indian rupee is currently on a weak footing, the destination is still seeing strong interest from leisure travellers and corporates alike for Singapore and outbound cruises from Singapore as Indians shift from longer haul destinations to taking shorter holidays nearby. “As India’s middle class consumer base expands, more and more will see travel as an essential spend,” he opined.
Several airlines, including Jet Airways, Indigo, Air India and Tiger Airways fly to Singapore from various cities in India. In addition, in India, Singapore Airlines operates from Chennai, Mumbai, New Delhi, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Ahmadabad, providing India with strong direct connectivity to the destination. Furthermore, to match the high demand for Singapore as a destination, as of end December 2012, Singapore has about 52,000 rooms from 338 hotels, with a healthy pipeline of about 14,000 hotel rooms to be expected in the next few years, Pey revealed.
Further highlighting the importance of India as a market, Pey said, “India continues to be a key source market for Singapore and we are committed to offering Indian visitors an indelible Singapore experience which will keep them coming back for more. The ‘The Holiday You Take Home With You’ campaign is a major undertaking for STB in India and we will continue to build on this and make it larger by reaching out to the travellers through various channels and partnerships.”
Showcasing their activities with the Indian trade, Pey revealed, “In the next wave of development, we are looking to new growth areas like cruise, arts and sports. Having a close working relationship with travel partners allows us to share the latest destination offerings in Singapore.”
