Australia has climbed a spot to become Singapore’s fourth-largest visitor source market, delivering a record 1.3 million Aussies in 2024 – up 8 per cent on the previous high.
Australia also remained among the top three TR-generating markets, boosting its contribution by 7 per cent to S$1.54b (around AU$1.74b), behind Mainland China (S$3.68b/AU$4.16b), and Indonesia (S$2.09/AU$2.36b). TR growth was largely led by Sightseeing, Entertainment & Gaming and Food & Beverage (F&B), each showing 15 per cent growth.
The surge helped underpin steady tourism growth, with Singapore recording S$23.9b (around AU$27.02b) in tourism receipts across the first three quarters of 2025, a 6.5 per cent increase year on year and the highest ever for the period.
International visitor arrivals to Singapore in 2025 reached 16.9 million, representing a 2.3 per cent 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.
“The strong tourism receipts performance in 2025 puts us on a steady trajectory towards achieving our Tourism 2040 ambitions,” Singapore Tourism Board chief executive Melissa Ow said. “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.”
Tourism performance highlights
The hotel industry maintained a stable performance in 2025, with Average Occupancy Rate (AOR) increasing year-on-year to 81.9 per cent from 81.4 per cent in 2024. Average Room Rate (ARR) was S$273.56 (around AU$309.31) (-1 per cent) and Revenue per Available Room (RevPAR) was S$224.04 (around AU$253.32) (-0.4 per cent). 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 per cent) and over 2.0 million passenger throughput (+9 per cent), cementing Singapore’s position as the region’s leading cruise hub in 2025.
New experiences
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 Asia 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, while the 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
Premier events included the FORMULA 1 (F1) Singapore Airlines Singapore Grand Prix, the World Aquatics Championships 2025 (first time in Southeast Asia), Singapore Festival of Football, and NBA Rising Stars Invitational. Live entertainment featured Lady Gaga in Singapore concerts, Blackpink’s Deadline World Tour and Seventeen’s Right Here World Tour.
Cultural celebrations such as the Chinese New Year Celebrations, River Hongbao, Gemilang Kampong Gelam and Deepavali Celebrations were also an attraction.
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, and Cartier’s Nature Sauvage high jewellery showcase where Singapore was one of only three international destinations and the sole Southeast Asia stop.
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 20,000sqm retail space featuring over 40 lifestyle and premium brands, including Asia-exclusive flagship stores such as Singapore’s Pierre Herme patisserie and new-to-market brands like Korea’s Standard Bread and Paul Pairet’s Moutarde and Sundae Royale.
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. 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.
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 (around AU$11.54 billion) ultra-luxury development, which features a 570-suite luxury hotel tower with signature rooftop and dining experiences, 200,000sqft 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 completion of the S$40 million (around AU$45.2 million) Marina Bay Cruise Centre Singapore expansion increased passenger capacity from 6,800 to 11,700.
Looking ahead: Pipeline for 2026
New experiences to debut in 2026 include the return of Cirque du Soleil’s KOOZA, the production’s only Southeast Asia stop, Disney Cruise Line’s first Asia homeport, and phase 2 of the Rainforest Wild at Mandai Wildlife Reserve.
The MICE industry welcomes 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).
STB expects 2026 international visitor arrivals to reach between 17 to 18 million, bringing in approximately S$31.0 to 32.5 billion (around AU$35.06 to 36.76 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,” Ow said.
