Singapore’s 2016 tourist spend on gaming down 14 %

Visitor arrivals grew nearly 8 % year-on-year to 16.4 million in 2016, driven by growth in key markets, said the Singapore Tourism Board in its latest tourism sector performance report. The number of visitors from China reached approximately 2.86 million in 2016, 36 % more than in the previous year. Tally of visitors from Indonesia and India increased by 6 % and 8 %, respectively.

Tourism receipts for full-year 2016 rose by 13 % to US$17.7 billion on the back of food and beverage, shopping and accommodation spending, the tourism board said.

Tourist spending on sightseeing, entertainment and gaming however fell approximately 14 % year-on-year, according to the data.

For the second consecutive year, tourists from China were the top spenders in Singapore, , with the bulk of the spending going into shopping.

Singapore is host to two casino resorts: Resorts World Sentosa, operated by Genting Singapore Plc, and Marina Bay Sands, run by a unit of Las Vegas Sands Corp.

For 2017, the Singapore Tourism Board is forecasting tourism receipts to grow in the range of 1 % to 4 %. For visitor arrivals, it is targeting a growth of up to 2 %, or a total of up to 16.7 million tourists.

Source: GMB / GGR Asia