SINGAPORE. Visitor arrivals to Singapore plunged -72% in the first 26 days of May.
This was a direct result of the World Health Organization (WHO) travel advisory concerning SARS, the Government said yesterday.
Visitor numbers at 41,100 for the week 20-26 May were down -69%. Those coming from China, Japan, India, Germany and Malaysia decreased by over -70%, the Singapore Tourism Board said.
From 1 to 26 May, China – itself at the heart of the SARS crisis – registered the largest drop for the period in terms of absolute arrivals, followed by Indonesia, Japan, India and Malaysia. Visitor arrivals plunged a record -67% in April from a year earlier.
The flow of visitors is expected to improve sharply in the coming weeks after the WHO lifted its travel advisory. Singapore’s Transport Minister Yeo Cheow Tong said this week that flights cancelled during the crisis to Changi airport, Asia’s fourth-busiest air hub, are slowly being restored.
Intensive promotions are being organised to bring back the tourists. Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore is hosting “The First Ever Airport-Wide Sale” from 16 June, with storewide discounts on top of duty free and tax free prices and special offers at all the airport shops. During the sale, restaurants and cafes are also giving a -20% discount on all food and beverage items. The Changi Sale will end on 13 July.
