Singapore reports Visitor Arrival figures for February 2004

Singapore witnessed strong growth in business-related arrivals in February 2004, which translated into a 25% increase over the same period a year ago. Business arrivals from China (+87%), the USA (+54%), the UK (+35%), India (+32%) and Australia (+26%) posted exceptional growth. One reason for this positive development may be attributed to the six-day Asian Aerospace exhibition held in late February.

Also achieving good growth were holiday arrivals from Indonesia (+20%), India (+17%) and Australia (+15%), despite a year-on-year (y-o-y) decline of 17% in the total number of holiday makers coming to Singapore in February.

The overall number of visitors arriving in February stood at 591,007, a decline of 4% compared to the same period a year ago. Markets such as China (-43%) and Hong Kong (-30%) registered decreases, which may be attributed to the Chinese New Year holiday occurring in January this year instead of in February, as was the case last year.

Country Performance

Indonesia, China and the UK were Singapore's top-three markets in February 2004, accounting for 37% of the total number of visitors for the month. 

Arrivals from India (+25%), Indonesia (+19%), the USA (+18%) and Australia (+15%) recorded good double-digit growth. Such growth may be attributed in part to the increased business-related traffic drawn to the Asian Aerospace exhibition during the February 24-29 period.

Strong holiday (+17%) and business-related (+32%) arrivals contributed to the overall 25% y-o-y growth in visitor arrivals from India. The positive figures may be attributed to extensive in-market BTMICE promotions during the last quarter of 2003, and to Indian Airlines lowering its airfares for travel into Singapore as part of its 50th anniversary celebrations.

A rise in the number of holiday makers (+20%) pushed up total visitor arrivals from Indonesia by 19% on a y-o-y basis. The growth figures may be attributed to two public holiday weekends in February, which boosted repeat visits (+19%) and non-group package arrivals (+28%).

Business-related arrivals from the USA grew by an impressive 54% compared to a year ago; the bi-annual Asian Aerospace exhibition has been cited as one of the possible draws for such visitors. Out of all arrivals from the USA, 70% were on repeat visits in February, representing a 20% growth over the same period last year.

Visitor arrivals from Australia rose by 15% on a y-o-y basis, building on this market's growth momentum observed since November 2003. Holiday and business-related arrivals in February grew by 15% and 26%, respectively. Such growth may be attributed to several factors: the strong Australian dollar; continuous, positive media coverage of Singapore; and pent-up demand for travel after the health scares and travel restrictions of the past year.

Business-related arrivals from China rose by 87% in February, despite an overall decline of 43% in total arrivals over the same period a year ago. The decline may be attributed to the Chinese New Year holiday occurring in January this year instead of in February, as was the case last year; this shift may have contributed to the decline in holiday and group-package arrivals by 56% and 49%, respectively.

Japan posted its best performance figures in February since the global SARS outbreak in March 2003. The narrowing y-o-y decline of 13% in overall visitor arrivals in February was boosted by a healthy recovery in business-related arrivals, which registered a 21% rise over the same period a year ago.

Hotels witness robust growth in occupancy and revenue

The average occupancy rate (AOR) for February 2004 is estimated to hit 80%, translating into a 6 percentage point improvement compared to a year ago. The average room rate (ARR) is estimated to reach S$133, representing a y-o-y growth of 10%.

Total room revenue for the month is estimated at S$88 million, indicating a strong growth of 23% compared to the same period a year ago.