China became the largest source of tourists for Singapore between January and October 2017 after the former accounted for nearly one-fifth of all visitor arrivals, according to the Singapore Tourism Board (STB).
The STB said that more than 2.7 million Chinese tourists went to see interesting places to go and see in Singapore,such as Sentosa – The State of Fun, in the first ten months of the year. This only made China become a more important market for Singapore’s tourism sector.
Tourism Receipts
Among the major benefits for more visitors include tourism receipts. Those from China represented nearly 18 percent of all spending in the first six months of 2017, which partly explained the reason behind the country’s importance.
Job growth also benefits from the thriving tourism industry, as more than 320,000 direct and indirect employment stem from it, according to the World Travel and Tourism Council. When it comes to economic growth, the Council said that it accounts for an estimated 4.5 percent of Singapore’s gross domestic product.
The STB is well-aware of these benefits, so it has been exploring different ways to improve tourists’ experience during their stay. Its latest endeavour involves a partnership with ride-sharing service Grab.
Memorandum of Understanding
STB and Grab signed a three-year memorandum of understanding to study tourists’ preferences on transportation. It will also advance the use of cashless payment options, particularly Grabpay, in hawker centres and other tourism hotspots in Singapore.
The move will provide foreign visitors with more methods to pay for goods and services. Most tourists often find it hard to do so in hawker centres and other small establishments, which usually require small denominations as payment.
Singapore’s intent to analyse tourists’ spending patterns and preferred destinations in the country is vital in making sure that the country continues to become attractive to tourist not only from China but from all over the world.