In a bid to welcome over 1.5 million Indian tourists this year, Singapore is set to relax visa regulations while ramping up its hospitality infrastructure, including the addition of 9,000 new hotel rooms to its existing inventory of 72,000 rooms. The move comes as Singapore aims to surpass pre-pandemic tourism levels, having observed a recovery from 1.1 million Indian tourists in 2023 to the 2019 benchmark of 1.4 million before the lockdowns.
The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) is intensifying efforts to streamline visa processes for Indian travelers, highlighting the immense tourism potential of the Indian market. Poh Chi Chuan, Executive Director of Exhibition & Conference at STB, emphasized the need to fill the expanded hotel capacity with increased tourist inflows. He expressed optimism about flight connectivity between India and Singapore returning to pre-pandemic levels, anticipating a surge in tourist numbers with the resumption of international flights by new carriers operating in India.
Aside from catering to leisure travelers, Singapore is also eyeing business opportunities with India, buoyed by growing trade relations and India’s thriving economy. Poh noted sectors such as pharma, BioMed, IT, and FinTech as areas of mutual interest, citing Singapore’s capability to host large-scale exhibitions and conferences focusing on advanced technologies.
The upcoming Asia-Pacific (APAC) edition of the prestigious National Retail Federation (NRF) Retail Big Show in Singapore underscores the country’s appeal as a business and tourism hub. Scheduled for June 11-13, the event expects a significant turnout, with 5,000 participants and notable industry figures like Kumar Rajagopalan from the Retailers Association of India and executives from leading digital commerce and sustainability platforms.
The NRF event in Singapore not only signifies the city-state’s attractiveness for business gatherings but also highlights its commitment to fostering robust economic ties with key partners like India. With visa facilitation and expanded infrastructure, Singapore aims to position itself as a top destination for Indian tourists and business travelers, tapping into diverse sectors for sustained economic growth and collaboration in the Asia-Pacific region.
