STUNNING luxury resorts, world-renowned attractions and the recent launch of the ‘YourSingapore’ brand have all contributed to a significant increase in tourists from the Middle East, according to new figures from the Singapore Tourism Board (STB).
Latest figures reveal the number of visitors from the Middle East to Singapore during the first half of this year grew by 23.21 per cent, compared with 2009, with nearly 55,000 visitors arriving from the region.
The number of tourists from the UAE in particular increased from 21,756 to 23,248, a growth of 6.85 per cent.
Singapore is also high on the list of holiday and business destinations for journeyers from other Arabic counties. During the same six months, numbers of visitors from Iran rose by 49.60 per cent, to more than 20,000 people, and tourists from Kuwait rose by 84.12 per cent.
“2010 is such an exciting time for us. Singapore is becoming an even more popular global destination for visitors from the Middle East and we’re looking forward to welcoming more and more tourists from the region as the year progresses,” said Jason Ong, area director for Middle East and Africa, STB.
Strong growth comes in the wake of the opening of two new multi-billion dollar integrated resorts as part of Singapore’s transformation. These include Southeast Asia’s first-ever Universal Studios, located on Resorts World Sentosa, featuring 24 exciting rides and attractions and the world’s only Madagascar theme park.
The amazing Marina Bay Sands has also helped Singapore gain a place on the international centre stage. This fully-integrated resort boasts six hotels with 963 rooms, designer shopping centres and six celebrity-chef restaurants and is already appealing to tourists with its magnificent nightlife, entertainment and luxury venues.
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In June, the official launch of the Sands Sky Park and Event Plaza along Marina Bay, also added to Singapore’s transformation to becoming a world-class travel destination which has something to offer every kind of traveller.
And there is more to come. Singapore will also play host to enthusiastic racing fans from around the globe when the Singapore Formula One hits town in November.
“2010 is becoming a landmark year for Singapore’s tourism sectors with our Integrated Resorts adding to an already compelling suite of tourism attractions. I am confident that Singapore will continue to attract more and more tourists from the Middle East as they continue to discover Singapore’s array of enriching experiences,” said Ong.
*On July 30 the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) achieved a significant milestone by welcoming its one-millionth visitor in just a single month. Such strong tourism figures suggest that Singapore will meet its forecast of welcoming 11.5 to 12.5 million visitors in 2010.
STB also recently released figures that indicated a rise in the number of Middle East visitors to the Garden City. Over 66,000 travellers from the Middle East headed to Singapore from January to June of this year, representing a growth of 23.2 percent year-on-year. The Middle East’s growth corresponds with a 22.6 percent rise in the total number of visitors to Singapore, which reached over 5.5 million visitors in the first six months of 2010.