Singapore's tourism sector has had a great kick-off to the year as it recorded a robust growth in terms of tourism receipts and International Visitor Arrivals (IVA).
According to the latest figures from Singapore Tourism Board (STB), tourists splurged 15 percent more in the first quarter of the year compared to last year, with receipts reaching S$6.4 billion.
Constituting 25 percent of the total tourists' spends is shopping, which recorded a 38 percent growth to S$1.6 billion.
The next biggest contributor to the strong tourists' expenses is accommodation, which saw receipts go up by 18 percent to S$1.55 billion.
Meanwhile, food & beverage receipts also rose, up 14 percent to S$693 million. Other components also reported an uptick, reporting a 7 percent increase to S$1.5 million.
Only the spending for sightseeing, entertainment & gaming reported a flat growth in the said quarter, remaining stable at S$1.1 billion.
Excluding the sightseeing segment, tourists from China, Indonesia, and India ranked as the three biggest spenders with total receipts of S$1.1 billion, S$688 million, and S$302 million, respectively.
The rise in tourism receipts was on the back of the 4% growth in IVA to 4.3 million. The tourism board also saw an expansion in the visitor days, up 2% to 14.6 million days.
China (851,000), Indonesia (720,000), Malaysia (275,000), Australia (272,000), and India (241,000) were the top five visitor-generating markets in the said quarter, accounting for 55 percent of total visitor arrivals in the period.
