Record Singapore tourism receipts from January to September 2025

SINGAPORE, 3 February 2026 – Singapore's tourism sector showed steady growth in 2025, with tourism receipts (TR) reaching S$23.9 billion in the first three quarters, a 6.5% increase from 2024, and the highest TR recorded for this period.

“The strong tourism receipts performance in 2025 puts us on a steady trajectory towards achieving our Tourism 2040 ambitions¹," said Ms Melissa Ow, Chief Executive, Singapore Tourism Board. “We are attracting visitors who value the distinctive experiences that Singapore offers. To maintain this growth momentum and reinforce our destination appeal and global hub status, we will continue to develop a strong pipeline of differentiated products, events, and experiences.”

International visitor arrivals to Singapore in 2025 reached 16.9 million, representing a 2.3% growth compared to 2024, with Mainland China (3.1 million), Indonesia (2.4 million), Malaysia (1.3 million), Australia (1.3 million) and India (1.2 million) forming the top five markets.

Tourism Performance Highlights

Tourism receipts performance from January to September 2025 puts full-year performance on track to exceed STB’s projections of S$29.0 to S$30.5 billion for 2025². 

Tourism receipts growth was largely led by Sightseeing, Entertainment & Gaming and Food & Beverage (F&B), each showing 15% growth. Mainland China, Indonesia, and Australia were the top TR-generating markets, contributing S$3.68 billion, S$2.09 billion and S$1.54 billion respectively³. As the top TR-contributing market, Mainland China grew 3% compared to the same period in 2024, with consumption in F&B leading the growth at 19%.

The top markets for international visitor arrivals (IVA) were Mainland China (3.1 million), Indonesia (2.4 million), Malaysia (1.3 million), Australia (1.3 million) and India (1.2 million), with Australia (+8%) contributing a record number of international visitors. IVA from some markets experienced year-on-year decline, such as Vietnam (344,000 compared to 393,000 in 2024), which can be attributed to greater price sensitivity around travel. Similarly, IVA from Philippines decreased to 726,000 from 779,000 in 2024, following the previous year’s spike driven by large-scale entertainment events in Singapore. Overall, total IVA remained healthy, and notable growth was recorded from Japan (+10%), Malaysia (+8%), Germany (+5%) and USA (+4%), representing a good mix of short, mid and long-haul markets.

The hotel industry maintained stable performance in 2025, with Average Occupancy Rate (AOR) increasing year-on-year to 81.9% from 81.4% in 2024. Average Room Rate (ARR) was S$273.56 (-1%) and Revenue per Available Room (RevPAR) was S$224.04 (-0.4%). Hotel capacity expanded with 644 new hotel keys added to Singapore’s accommodation landscape.

The cruise industry also demonstrated strong momentum with 375 ship calls (+10%) and over 2.0 million passenger throughput (+9%), cementing Singapore’s position as the region’s leading cruise hub in 2025.

Please refer to Annex A ↗ (opens in new tab) for tourism performance charts.

New Experiences Boost Visitor Spending

The strong tourism spending can be attributed to the new and refreshed experiences across multiple industries such as attractions, cruise, events, and MICE.

Attractions

Several major attractions opened in 2025, enhancing Singapore's destination appeal. These included Rainforest Wild as Singapore's fifth wildlife park and Asia's first adventure-based zoological park and Curiosity Cove as Singapore’s largest indoor playscape with over 30 experiential features at Mandai Wildlife Reserve. Other notable additions were Jurassic World: The Experience at Gardens by the Bay's Cloud Forest and Singapore Oceanarium at Resorts World Sentosa.

Rejuvenation efforts enhanced existing attractions, such as Chinatown Heritage Centre which reopened with immersive exhibits and character-led tours, and SuperPark’s expansion with climbing walls, trampoline arenas, and a games arena. Singapore Flyer refreshed its Time Capsule with a pre-flight experience featuring 10 interactive themed zones showcasing Singapore’s 700-year transformation.

Cruise

Singapore welcomed new homeported ships including StarDream Cruises’ Star Voyager, Royal Caribbean International's Ovation of the Seas, and The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection’s Luminara, further expanding itinerary choices and diversifying cruise options for passengers.

Events and Entertainment

Singapore maintained its position as Asia's premier events capital with a diverse portfolio of world-class events throughout 2025. Key highlights included ART SG, Southeast Asia’s leading international art fair during Singapore Art Week, which featured 105 galleries from 30 countries and attracted more than 41,000 visitors. The FORMULA 1 (F1) Singapore Airlines Singapore Grand Prix continued to be a major draw, with total attendance reaching 300,641 over the three-day event—an 11.7% increase from 2024. POP TOY SHOW 2025 marked a milestone in Singapore as the only edition held outside of China, drawing over 45,000 attendees.

Major sporting events included the World Aquatics Championships 2025 (first time in Southeast Asia), Singapore Festival of Football, and NBA Rising Stars Invitational. The live entertainment calendar featured the globally exclusive Lady Gaga in Singapore concerts, Blackpink's Deadline World Tour and Seventeen’s Right Here World Tour, complementing major events like the FORMULA 1 (F1) Singapore Airlines Singapore Grand Prix.

Cultural celebrations showcased Singapore's rich heritage such as the Chinese New Year Celebrations, River Hongbao, Gemilang Kampong Gelam and Deepavali Celebrations.

Hospitality

The hospitality industry saw new openings including Raffles Sentosa Singapore (Singapore's second Raffles property and first villa-only hotel), Mandai Rainforest Resort by Banyan Tree, The Laurus at Resorts World Sentosa (Singapore's first The Luxury Collection property), Mett Singapore (Southeast Asia's first Mett property by Sunset Hospitality Group), and Mama Shelter (the first Mama Shelter property in Asia).

Lifestyle Experiences

Exclusive first-in-region events further reinforced Singapore’s position as a premier lifestyle destination, with CHANEL selecting Singapore as the sole global location to host its Cruise 2025/26 Collection show following its original presentation at Lake Como, Cartier's Nature Sauvage high jewellery showcase where Singapore was one of only three international destinations and the sole Southeast Asia stop, and Louis Vuitton’s first regional Savoir Rever exhibition infusing local cultural heritage into the luxury brand experience.

Singapore’s culinary landscape expanded with notable openings including Belimbing by The Lo & Behold Group, Pop City by Jigger & Pony Group, Gilmore & Damian D'Silva, and Rempapa (relocated to the National Gallery Singapore) by OUE Restaurants. Resorts World Sentosa also launched Weave, a revamped 20,000 sqm retail space featuring over 40 lifestyle and premium brands, including Asia-exclusive flagship stores such as Singapore's Pierre Hermé patisserie and new-to-market brands like Korea’s Standard Bread and Paul Pairet’s Moutarde and Sundae Royale.

Visitors were also treated to SKULLPANDA CAGE-UNCAGE at the National Museum of Singapore, and Wiggle Wiggle in the Sky at the Singapore Flyer, while collective marketing efforts among businesses in Marina Bay, Sentosa and Dempsey helped to encourage spending.

Meetings, Incentives, Conventions & Exhibitions (MICE)

The MICE industry also contributed to visitor spending, with a packed calendar of events. Major events included the Milken Institute Asia Summit, ITMA Asia + CITME, and several inaugural Asia editions of established international events including HealthTechX Asia 2025 and LSI Asia 2025. Milken Institute also committed to anchor their Asia Summit in Singapore from 2026 to 2028. Notable incentive travel included the Sun Pharma Star Club Awards 2025 with 6,100 participants, representing the largest meeting and incentive movement from India.

The MICE industry reinforced Singapore's appeal as a premier business events destination, with Singapore ranking 3rd worldwide and 1st in Asia-Pacific according to the International Congress and Convention Association, and 2nd in Asia-Pacific in the Global Destination Sustainability Index.

Please refer to Annex B ↗ (opens in new tab) for other key Leisure and MICE Events and New Attractions/ Enhanced Experiences in 2025.

Tourism Fuels Business Confidence Across the Sector

These efforts across different industries reflect business confidence in Singapore’s tourism sector, as local and international businesses recognise the country's strength as leading tourism destination and a well-connected hub that enables significant visitor flows and provides access to diverse international markets.

This was further demonstrated by major infrastructural developments. Both integrated resorts saw significant expansions: Marina Bay Sands marked a major milestone in 2025 with the groundbreaking ceremony for its US$8 billion ultra-luxury development, which will feature a 570-suite luxury hotel tower with signature rooftop and dining experiences, 200,000 square feet of premium meeting space, a 15,000-seat arena, and additional F&B and retail options.

Resorts World Sentosa launched Illumination's Minion Land at Universal Studios Singapore, Singapore Oceanarium and Weave.

The year also saw the groundbreaking of the Porsche Experience Centre Singapore, set to open in 2027.  Additionally, Therme Group Singapore Pte. Ltd. was awarded the tender to develop and operate a wellness attraction at Marina South by 2030. The attraction is expected to attract approximately 2 million visitors annually with nearly half being international visitors.

The completion of the $40 million Marina Bay Cruise Centre Singapore expansion increased passenger capacity from 6,800 to 11,700.

Initiatives Spanning Global Markets

To encourage visitor spending, STB partnered with leading platforms across key markets such as WeChat Pay in China, and Tiket.com ↗ (opens in new tab) in Indonesia. STB also collaborated with Grab and Visa to drive spend for Visa cardholders; and with Kris+ and Mastercard to encourage spending on retail and F&B.

Industry Development to Drive Capability and Sustainable Growth

Workforce Development

2025 saw continued efforts to develop the capabilities of our tourism workers. To nurture local talent, the T-LEAP programme conducted three runs in 2025, training 75 participants from 35 unique companies in leadership development. The partnership with NTUC LearningHub delivered 27 courses focused on sustainability, technology, and service excellence, with over 1,200 attendees participating in skills development programmes.

The revised Travel Agent Roadmap launched in July 2025 positioned the industry for sustainable growth through innovation, with the vision of "Curators of Travel that Inspire." The roadmap focuses on three key pillars: digitalisation and productivity, innovation and sustainability, and jobs and skills development, providing a comprehensive framework for future growth. Such capability building efforts will help to create more diverse and meaningful career opportunities for locals.

Technology Innovation

Tourism businesses embraced technology transformation with innovative solutions. In 2025, 28 tourism companies embarked on various technology solutions to improve productivity, service delivery and raise revenue.

There was also increased openness to use AI applications across operations to ease the tourism workforce's workload and raise skills. Examples include Conrad Centennial Singapore's AI-powered Smart Scheduling software that reduced scheduling time by over 90%, from two hours to just 15 minutes; Science Centre Board's monitoring system and AI-powered assistance for visitor queries; and Mount Faber Leisure Group strengthened its cable car troubleshooting processes and staff competencies to ensure sustained operational reliability.

Sustainability Leadership

Singapore's hospitality industry continued to lead in sustainability practices, with over 73% of hotel room stock achieving internationally recognised sustainability certification, exceeding the 60% target set for December 2025. All six purpose-built MICE venues also obtained certification, while over 80% of Singapore Association of Convention & Exhibition Organisers & Suppliers (SACEOS) members achieved sustainability certification, exceeding the target set for December 2025. The tourism sector’s commitment was further strengthened with the launch of the Attractions Sustainability Roadmap in partnership with the Association of Singapore Attractions to drive industry-wide adoption.

Celebrating Singapore’s Story on the Global Stage

Tourism strengthened local pride and community belonging by celebrating local heritage and creating opportunities for local talent to gain recognition on the world stage. SG60 celebrations saw over 50 attractions offer nearly 70 deals for locals, while Singapore’s Dream Sphere pavilion at the Expo 2025 Osaka showcased local talents and diverse culture on an international platform.

Branded entertainment collaborations presented Singapore through music videos featuring global artists. Leading these efforts was Coldplay's "Man In The Moon" music video, which created opportunities for over 100 local talents. Other notable productions included BTS Jin's "Don't Say You Love Me", BLACKPINK's Jisoo "Your Love", and 88rising's Xin Liu "Passion".

Beyond music videos, STB leveraged film productions to showcase Singapore to global audiences. Notable projects included Netflix’s F1 Drive to Survive series, HBO Max’s HACKS and leading Indonesian film studio MD Entertainment’s Ahlan Singapore. Additional collaborations during FORMULA 1 (F1) Singapore Airlines Singapore Grand Prix 2025 featured global artists like David Corenswet and Dylan Wang in social content that further elevated our destination on the global stage.

Looking Ahead: Pipeline for 2026

The steady tourism performance in 2025 and continued development of new products and experiences provide a strong foundation for Singapore's Tourism 2040 vision.

New experiences will debut in 2026, including innovative entertainment concepts such as AndSoForth’s flagship multi-concept immersive destination and the return of Cirque du Soleil's KOOZA, the production’s only Southeast Asia stop. Other highlights include BTS performing four nights as their longest stop in Asia outside of Korea and Japan for the BTS World Tour, Disney Cruise Line’s first Asia homeport, the new sprint race at the 2026 FORMULA 1 (F1) Singapore Airlines Singapore Grand Prix, the renewed STB-Disney Partnership featuring the Children's Festival and the second edition of Garden of Wonder, Exploria and phase 2 of the Rainforest Wild at Mandai Wildlife Reserve and the opening of the Grange Road Events Space by LiveNation by end-2026.

The MICE industry will welcome significant events including the recently concluded Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AAAI) 2026 Annual Conference (first time outside USA in its 40-year history) and Herbalife Extravaganza 2026 (expected to be Singapore's largest Meeting & Incentive Travel event with 25,000 anticipated visitor arrivals).

Please refer to Annex C ↗ (opens in new tab) for 2026 Event Pipeline and Developments.

Tourism outlook

STB expects 2026 international visitor arrivals to reach between 17 to 18 million, bringing in approximately S$31.0 to 32.5 billion in tourism receipts. The 2026 projections take a measured approach given global economic uncertainty and political instability affecting travel patterns globally.

"As we work towards our Tourism 2040 goals and a sustainable tourism sector, STB will continue to seek out opportunities to reach new markets and support our tourism enterprises and workforce to develop differentiated products and experiences," added Ms Ow.

-END-

^{1 Tourism 2040 | Singapore Tourism Board} ↗ (opens in new tab)

² _{STB’s projections for 2025 were for international visitor arrivals to reach between 17.0 to 18.5 million, bringing in approximately $29.0 to $30.5 billion in tourism receipts. The full-year 2025 TR figure will be available in 2Q 2026.}

³ _{excluding Sightseeing, Entertainment & Gaming. In line with previous practices, STB excludes Sightseeing, Entertainment & Gaming in the country analysis due to commercial sensitivities.}

About Singapore Tourism Board

The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) is the lead development agency for tourism, one of Singapore’s key economic sectors. Together with industry partners and the community, we shape a dynamic Singapore tourism landscape. We bring the Passion Made Possible brand to life by differentiating Singapore as a vibrant destination that inspires people to share and deepen their passions.