Tourism in Singapore

Orchids at the Singapore Botanic Gardens

The historic Raffles Hotel is a national monument

Tourism in Singapore is a major industry and contributor to the Singaporean economy, attracting 15,095,152 international tourists in 2014, over thrice of Singapore's total population.^[1] It is also environmentally friendly, and maintains natural and heritage conservation programs. Along with this, it also has one of the world's lowest crime rates. As English is the dominant one of its four official languages, it is generally easier for tourists to understand when speaking to the local population of the country, for example, when shopping. Transport in Singapore exhaustively covers most, if not all public venues in Singapore, which increases convenience for tourists. This includes the well-known Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) system.

The Orchard Road district, which is dominated by multi-storey shopping centres and hotels, can be considered the center of tourism in Singapore. Other popular tourist attractions include the Singapore Zoo, River Safari and Night Safari, which allows people to explore Asian, African and American habitats at night without any visible barriers between guests and the wild animals. The Singapore Zoo has embraced the 'open zoo' concept whereby animals are kept in enclosures, separated from visitors by hidden dry or wet moats, instead of caging the animals, while the River Safari, features 10 different ecosystems around the world, including the River Nile, Yangtze River, Mississippi, Amazon as well as the Tundra and has 300 species of animals, including numerous endangered species.^[2]

Jurong Bird Park is another zoological garden centred on birds, which is dedicated towards exposing the public to as much species and varieties of birds from around the world as possible, including a flock of one thousand flamingos. The tourist island of Sentosa, which attracts 19 million visitors in 2011, is located in the south of Singapore, consists of about 20–30 landmarks, such as Fort Siloso, which was built as a fortress to defend against the Japanese during World War II.

Guns from the World War II era can be seen at Fort Siloso, from a mini-sized to a 16 pound (7 kg) gun. Moreover, the island has built the Tiger Sky Tower, which allows visitors to view the whole of Sentosa, as well as the Sentosa Luge, a small one- or two-person sled on which one sleighs supine and feet-first. Steering is done by shifting the weight or pulling straps attached to the sled's runners. Among the latest tourists attractions built in Singapore includes the two integrated resorts which houses casinos, namely Marina Bay Sands and Resorts World Sentosa, a Universal Studios theme park and Gardens by the Bay.

Tourism statistics

Singapore Ducktours (part of RATP Group)

Singapore attracted a record 11,638,663 visitors according to the Singapore Tourism Board's statistics, but which excludes Malaysian visitors who visited Singapore via the Causeway or the Second Link. This was a 20.2% increase over 2009, reversing two years of negative growth due to the global financial crisis of 2008–2009.

Total visitor days was a record 44.9 million days, a growth of 17.1%, or an average of 3.86 days per visitor. 22.3% of visitors were day-trippers (less than one day), 19.7% stayed for one day, 17.6% stayed for two days, 14.7% for three days, and the rest for 4 days and above. 76.0% of visitors arrived by air, 10.9% by sea, and 13.2% by land. The largest age group of visitors was from 25 to 34 years old at 22.7% of visitors, followed by 21.8% for those aged 35–44 and 17.9% for those from 45 to 54 years old.

Over half (53%) of visitors came from the five biggest markets, mainly Indonesia (2,305,149), People's Republic of China (1,171,337), Malaysia (1,036,918), Australia (880,486) and India (828,903). Other major markets include the Philippines (544,344), Japan (528,817), the United Kingdom (461,714), Thailand (430,022) and the United States of America (416,990).

Tourism receipts was estimated to reach S$18.8 billion in 2010, a growth of 49% compared to 2009, with Shopping and Sightseeing/Entertainment accounting for 21% of total expenditure each, Accommodation making up 19%, and Food and Beverage another 10%. Medical receipts, representing the medical-tourism industry the country was trying to promoted, contributed 5%. In particular, Sightseeing/Entertainment, which included expenditure at the two new Integrated Resorts, grew by 1,834%.

Gazetted hotel room revenue was estimated at S$1.9 billion, an increase of 21.8% over 2009. The overall average occupancy rate was at 86%, 9.8% more than 2009, with the Economy tier seeing the largest increase of 15.6%. Overall average room rate was at S$212, an increase of 12.2%, while the overall revenue per available room was S$182, an increase of 26.6% over 2009.

General trends

Recent years

Top markets 2000–2010

Source: Singapore Tourism Board^[3]

Country or territory	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010
Indonesia	1,313,316	1,364,380	1,393,020	1,341,747	1,765,324	1,813,569	1,922,217	1,962,055	1,765,429	1,745,330	2,305,149
China	434,336	497,398	670,099	568,510	880,259	857,814	1,037,201	1,113,956	1,078,742	936,747	1,171,337
Malaysia[4]	564,750	578,719	548,659	439,437	537,336	577,987	634,303	645,774	647,480	764,309	1,036,918
Australia	510,347	550,681	538,408	392,906	561,163	620,255	691,632	768,490	833,156	830,299	880,486
India	346,360	339,828	375,697	309,487	471,244	583,590	658,902	748,728	778,303	725,624	828,903
Japan	929,895	755,766	723,431	434,087	598,840	588,535	594,406	594,514	571,040	489,987	528,817
Philippines	181,032	190,630	195,564	176,585	245,918	319,971	386,119	418,775	418,938	432,072	544,344
Hong Kong	285,975	276,157	265,970	226,260	271,691	313,831	291,474	302,110	278,115	294,420	387,552
Thailand	246,750	260,958	263,866	235,826	341,989	379,040	356,367	353,416	333,905	317,905	430,022
United States	385,585	343,805	327,648	250,678	333,156	371,440	399,786	408,885	396,631	370,704	416,990
South Korea	354,353	359,083	371,050	261,403	361,083	364,206	454,722	464,292	423,018	271,987	360,673
United Kingdom	444,976	460,018	458,528	387,982	457,262	467,154	488,167	495,693	492,933	469,756	461,714
Vietnam	31,837	34,633	40,652	44,420	105,803	150,626	165,105	203,210	239,299	265,414	322,853
Taiwan	290,904	222,087	209,321	144,942	182,443	213,959	219,463	208,156	175,924	156,761	191,173
Germany	169,408	166,981	157,510	121,376	142,371	154,779	161,125	164,900	175,280	183,681	209,231

Top markets 2011–2014

Source: Singapore Tourism Board^[5]

Country or territory	2011	2012	2013	2014
Indonesia	2,592,222	2,837,537	3,088,859	3,025,178
China	1,577,522	2,034,177	2,269,870	1,722,380
Malaysia[4]	1,140,935	1,231,686	1,280,942	1,233,035
Australia	956,039	1,050,373	1,125,179	1,074,878
India	868,991	894,993	933,553	943,636
Japan	656,417	757,116	832,845	824,741
Philippines	677,723	656,804	687,794	676,481
Hong Kong	464,375	472,167	539,810	631,029
South Korea	414,879	445,184	471,768	536,975
Thailand	472,708	477,654	497,409	506,509
United States	440,576	477,213	491,946	484,912
United Kingdom	442,611	446,497	461,459	451,931
Vietnam	332,231	366,234	380,495	424,408
Taiwan	238,488	282,203	350,308	337,431
Germany	219,952	252,433	251,560	263,513

Sightseeing Bus fleet

• 20 DAF DB250LF / Plaxton President (DLP201-214, 216, 218, 222, 225, 227, 230)
• 7 Volvo B7L / Ayats Bravo City (VLY601-607)
• 3 Volvo B5TL / Ayats Bravo City (VLY821-823)
• 43 Volvo B9TL / Optare Visionaire (VLE651-677, VXE721-736)

Sightseeing Bus Routes

Boat fleet

• 5 Condiesel Larc V

Shopping

Takashimaya Shopping Centre in Orchard Road

There are various shopping belts in Singapore, Marina Bay, Bugis Street, Chinatown, Geylang Serai, Kampong Gelam & Arab Street, Little India, North Bridge Road, Orchard Road, and The Suburbs.

Singapore seeks to be the business hub of Southeast Asia and has an expansive shopping precinct located in the Orchard Road district. Many multistorey shopping centres are located at Orchard Road; the area also has many hotels, and it's the main tourism centre of Singapore, other than the Downtown Core. The local populace also use Orchard Road for shopping extensively.

Island resorts

USS Entrance Archway

Sentosa is a relatively large island of Singapore located to its south. Along with a beach-front resort, the island's tourist attractions include Fort Siloso, its historical museum, the Underwater World aquarium and the Tiger Sky Tower. Singapore also features two casinos (integrated resorts), one the Marina Bay Sands and the other, Resorts World Sentosa (home to Universal Studios Singapore) The proposal of building the integrated resorts was controversial.

Marina Bay, with Marina Centre in the background.

Cultural and historical landmarks

Sri Mariamman Temple, is Singapore's oldest Hindu temple located in Chinatown, Singapore

A former British colony, Singapore has various historical and cultural landmarks with British and regional influences in its architecture. Such cultural landmarks include the Masjid Sultan, one of Singapore's most important mosques which was completed in 1826, the Thian Hock Keng, one of Singapore's oldest temples, which was completed in 1839 and the Sri Mariamman Temple, which was built in 1827, making it the oldest Hindu temple in Singapore.^[6] Other historical monuments include the Kranji War Memorial, Civilian War Memorial, Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall and Istana Kampong Glam.

Singapore has four major museums depicting the art and history of the country and of the region. The Asian Civilisations Museum specialises in the material history of China, Southeast Asia, South Asia and West Asia, from which the diverse ethnic groups of Singapore trace their ancestry, while the Peranakan Museum, the first of its kind in the world, explores Peranakan cultures in Singapore and other former Straits Settlements in Malacca and Penang, and other Peranakan communities in Southeast Asia.^[7] Singapore's National Museum of Singapore is the oldest museum in the country, with its history dating back to 1849, mainly showcases collections of nation-building and the history of Singapore from the 14th century in a story-telling approach,^[8] while the Singapore Art Museum is a contemporary art museum focusing on art practices in Singapore, Southeast Asia and Asia. Other smaller museums include Changi Museum, which showcases collection of paintings, photographs and personal effects donated by former POWs(Prisoners of War) during the Japanese Occupation of Singapore^[9] and the Mint Museum of Toys, which has a collection of 3,000 toys and childhood memorabilia from the mid-19th century to mid-20th Century.

Nature sight-seeing

The monument to Chopin in the Singapore Botanic Gardens, just south of Symphony Lake.

Singapore has a variety of parks and projects which often feature its natural tropical environment.

Singapore has 3 zoos, namely, the Singapore Zoo, Night Safari and River Safari. The Singapore Zoo displays animals in 'open' naturalistic, spacious, landscaped enclosures separated from the visitors by hidden barriers, moats, and glass, with various shows and events occurring throughout the day to allow visitors to interact with the animals.^[10] Night Safari is the world's first nocturnal zoo, set in a humid tropical forest that is only open at night, it is divided into seven geographical zones, which can be explored either on foot via four walking trails, or by tram. River Safari features a tropical rainforest setting^[11] and features 10 different ecosystems around the world, with 5000 animals of 300 species. Among the main attractions in the River Safari is a pair of male and female giant pandas – Kai Kai (凯凯) and Jia Jia (嘉嘉)^[12] – which are housed in a specially constructed climate-controlled enclosure which change throughout the four seasons emulating their original environment.^[13]

Supertrees at Gardens by The Bay, at night.

Among the various gardens and parks located in the country, Singapore's Singapore Botanic Gardens, Jurong Bird Park and Gardens by the Bay are most popular amongst tourists. The Singapore Botanical Gardens, a UNESCO World Heritage Site is a 52 hectares tropical garden, among its main attractions includes the National Orchid collection with over 3000 types of orchids growing. Jurong Bird Park, is a bird zoo with extensive specimens of exotic bird life from around the world, including a flock of one thousand flamingos. The bird park is largest in the world in terms of the number of birds. Gardens By The Bay, designed as a series of large tropical leaf-shaped gardens, each with its own specific landscaping design, character and theme. Its main attractions are the two conservatories, the Flower Dome, which replicates a mild, dry climate and features plants found in the Mediterranean and other semi-arid tropical regions, and the Cloud Forest, which replicates the cool moist conditions found in tropical mountain regions between 1,000 metres (3,300 ft) and 3,000 metres (9,800 ft) above sea level, found in South-East Asia, Middle- and South America. Other main attractions include the Supertree Grove, which features tree-like structures, known as Supertrees that dominate the Gardens' landscape. They are vertical gardens that perform a multitude of functions, which include planting, shading and working as environmental engines for the gardens.

Singapore also has two ASEAN Heritage Parks, which are the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, an extensive nature reserve which covers much of the Bukit Timah Hill, and is the only remaining place where primary rainforest still exists on the island, and the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve, which is known for its high variety of bird species, crabs, mudskippers and flora and fauna.

Pulau Ubin, is an offshore island where the last of undeveloped kampongs (villages) and wooden jetties, relaxed inhabitants, rich and preserved wildlife, abandoned quarries and plantations, and untouched nature still exists. One of the more popular spots on the island is, Chek Jawa, a previous coral reef 5000 years ago, where several ecosystems can be observed in one area.

Dining

The cuisine of Singapore is often viewed by its population as a prime example of the ethnic diversity of the culture of Singapore. In Singapore's hawker centres – a technical misnomer, to be precise – for example, traditionally Malay hawker stalls selling halal food may serve halal versions of traditionally Tamil or Chinese food. Chinese stalls may introduce Malay or Indian ingredients, cooking techniques or entire dishes into their range of catering. Some dishes introduce elements from all three cultures, while others incorporate influences from the rest of Asia and the West.

This phenomenon makes the cuisine of Singapore significantly rich and a cultural attraction. Much prepared food is available in the hawker centres or food courts (e.g. Lau Pa Sat, Newton Food Centre) rather than actual restaurants. These centres are relatively abundant which often leads to low prices, and encourages a large consumer base.

Food in itself has been heavily promoted as an attraction for tourists, and is usually promoted by various initiatives undertaken by the Singapore Tourism Board or the associations it deals with as one of Singapore's best attractions alongside shopping. The government organises the Singapore Food Festival in July annually to celebrate Singapore's cuisine. The multiculturalism of local food, the ready availability of international cuisine, and their wide range in prices to fit all budgets at all times of the day and year helps create a "food paradise" to rival other contenders claiming the same moniker. The availability of variety of food is often aided by the fact Singapore's port lies along strategic routes. Catherine Ling of CNN listed Fish soup bee hoon, Bak kut teh, Chilli crab, Nasi Padang, Hainanese chicken rice,and Kaya toast as some of the "40 Singapore foods we can't live without".^[14]

There is also a proliferation of fast-food chains, such as McDonald's, Pizza Hut, KFC, Burger King, Subway, Long John Silver's, and Mos Burger.

Halal and vegetarian food are also easily available.

Tourist events

Singapore Tourism Board promotes a variety of events all year round for tourists. Some of the anchor events are the Chingay Parade, Singapore Arts Festival and Singapore Garden Festival. The Singapore Food Festival is held every July to celebrate Singapore's cuisine. Other annual events include the Singapore Sun Festival, the Christmas Light Up, and the Singapore Jewel Festival.^[15] Singapore hosted a round of the 2008 FIA Formula One World Championship (Singapore Grand Prix).^[16] The race, held on a new street circuit at Marina Bay, was the first night-time event in Formula One history. The event was considered an overall success due to the sheer amount of organisation, planning and hard work put into the event.. Also in 2010, Singapore hosted the inaugural Youth Olympic Games, where the Singapore Tourism Board (STB), which say the Games is expected to generate a minimum of 180,000 visitor nights for Singapore.^[17]

See also

• Visa policy of Singapore
• Communications in Singapore
• Culture of Singapore
• History of Singapore
• History of the Republic of Singapore
• Landmark sites in Singapore
• Media of Singapore
• Singapore Tourism Board
• Transport in Singapore

References

External links

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Singapore.

• Library resources in your library and in other libraries about Tourism in Singapore
• Singapore Tourism Board
• YourSingapore.com – The official destination website of Singapore

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