World's Second Richest Country Draws 9.8M Visitors Across First 7 Months
Singapore’s international visitor arrivals fell 1.9% year-over-year to 9.8 million in the first seven months of the year, driven by a contraction in key regional source markets, according to the Singapore Tourism Board (STB).
Despite the broader decline, the city-state—ranked the world's second-richest country by GDP per capita in 2025—recorded its strongest monthly performance of the year in July with 1.63 million arrivals, though this still represented a 2.9% drop compared to the same period last year.
Market Breakdown
- China: Remained Singapore’s top source market, growing 3.7% year-over-year to 1.96 million visitors.
- Indonesia: Decreased 10.9% year-over-year to 1.34 million visitors.
- India: Contracted 5.5% year-over-year to 692,000 visitors.
To counter softer demand from markets like Indonesia and India, the government is expanding state investment in the sector, targeting between 17 million and 18 million total visitors for 2026.
A core component of this strategy involves extending visitor dwell time and increasing overnight stays by promoting destinations outside the central business district. As part of a targeted promotional campaign running from August through October, STB has partnered with Grab to offer a "Singapore Grab Travel Pass." The initiative provides tourists with discounted transport vouchers to access outlying cultural and leisure hubs, including Katong-Joo Chiat, Tiong Bahru, Mandai, and Sentosa.
