SINGAPORE - Who is contributing maximum in tourism success story?

eTN Asia, 5-2-2007

There is no doubt over the fact that Singapore tourism industry is flourishing. The city-state surpassed the nine million-mark in foreign tourist arrivals last year.
So which country or region is contributing maximum to this growth?
According to Global Refund, a leader in travel financial services, ASEAN tourists alone have contributed close to 50 percent of total tourist spending in Singapore over the last three years.
“ASEAN as a whole has experienced escalating economic growth in recent years and as a group, experienced a high growth of 5.5 percent in 2005. This growth has in turn led to a higher rate of travel from ASEAN tourists due to increased affluence amongst its people,” said Rodney Teo, managing director, Global Refund Singapore.
He added: “Coupled with the advent of regional low cost carriers, this has led to an increase in visitors from neighboring states into Singapore as she presents a nearby option to experience shopping and leisure in an East-meets-West dynamic city. As shopping is always an integral part of tourists’ itineraries when in Singapore, we have also witnessed an overall increase in ASEAN tourists’ expenditure.”

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