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Singapore's international visitor arrivals (IVA) reached 6.3 million in 2022, exceeding Singapore Tourism Board’s (STB) forecast of four to six million visitors.
The numbers were revealed at STB's annual Year-in-Review Media Conference on Jan. 17, 2023.
Tourism receipts (TR), which indicate expenditure incurred by visitors, are preliminarily expected to reach S$13.8 - S$14.3 billion, with final figures to be released in the second quarter of 2023.
The spending estimate far surpasses 2021's TR of S$1.9 billion, and reaches 50 - 52 per cent of 2019's TR, before Covid-19 hit.
Barring "unexpected circumstances", tourism activity is projected to recover to pre-pandemic levels by 2024, STB said.
Indonesia as top spender
Visitors in 2022 were led by Indonesia (1.1 million visitors), followed by India (686,000) and Malaysia (591,000).
On the other hand, the top TRs came from Indonesia (S$1.1 billion), India (S$704 million), and Australia (S$633 million).
The figures exclude sightseeing, gaming, and entertainment expenditures due to commercial sensitivities, STB explained.
Visitors are spending more time in Singapore as well, with the average length of stay at 4.81 days.
The number was derived from April - December 2022, when Singapore no longer required quarantine for fully-vaccinated travellers.
This is an increase from 2019, which stood at 3.36 days for the same period.
Hotel performance and leisure events
STB noted that MICE (meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions) events picked up pace in 2022, after the easing of border restrictions and safe management measures.
Leisure and sporting events made a comeback as well, with events Tour de France, Singapore Food Festival, ZoukOut, Marina Bay Countdown and of course, Formula 1, which drew a record attendance of 302,000.
Next, Singapore's hotel industry also saw an "encouraging year", with the average occupancy rate from April - December 2022 at 79.1 per cent, compared to 87.3 per cent in 2019.
Average room rates during this period increased by 17 per cent to S$260, while revenue per available room increased by 6.2 per cent to S$206.
Lastly, for the cruise sector, Singapore had more than 230 ship calls in 2022, and a passenger throughput of 1.2 million—about two-thirds of pre-pandemic levels in 2019.
Photo by Meriç Dağlı on Unsplash