SINGAPORE, Feb. 1 (Xinhua) -- The international visitor arrivals of Singapore reached 13.6 million in 2023, about 71 percent of the level in 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Singapore's Tourism Board (STB) Thursday.
The full-year tourism receipts were estimated between 24.5 to 26 billion Singapore dollars (18.3 to 19.4 billion U.S. dollars), beyond STB's forecast of 18.0 to 21.0 billion Singapore dollars.
Indonesia, the Chinese mainland, and Malaysia were the top visitor sources to Singapore last year, with 2.3 million, 1.4 million and 1.1 million travelers respectively.
The Chinese mainland topped Singapore's tourist spending chart with 2.3 billion Singapore dollars, followed by Indonesia and Australia.
As of September last year, tourism created 72,000 jobs in the city-state, about 88 percent of the 2019 levels, STB added.
STB expects the tourism market to continue recovery in 2024, driven by improved global flight connectivity and capacity as well as the implementation of the mutual 30-day visa-free travel between China and Singapore.
The international visitor arrivals in 2024 are expected to reach around 15 to 16 million, bringing in approximately 26 to 27.5 billion Singapore dollars in tourism revenue, according to the STB. ■
