The National Gallery Singapore. Singapore has developed a diverse range of attractive tourism and lifestyle offerings to appeal to travellers of different interests and passions. Photo courtesy of the Singapore Tourism Board

HCM CITY — Singapore is gearing up to attract more international visitors, including Vietnamese visitors, through a variety of new and enhanced tourism offerings, according to the Singapore Tourism Board (STB).

Speaking at an event held on Tuesday to update new tourism initiatives to attract Vietnamese travellers, Serene Ng, STB’s Area Director for Việt Nam, said, “Việt Nam is one of our most important markets in Southeast Asia.”

In 2023, Việt Nam was among Singapore’s top 10 markets for visitor arrivals, with more than 458,000 visitors.

In the first five months of 2024, Singapore welcomed over 155,000 Vietnamese visitors, underscoring the high demand for Singapore as a favoured destination.

This upward trend is projected to persist throughout 2024, with the STB expecting a substantial increase in Vietnamese tourist numbers, Ng said.

“Singapore’s tourism efforts in enhancing visitor experiences, coupled with strategic partnerships and marketing campaigns, have placed us in a good position to distinguish our destination in the increasingly competitive tourism landscape and be more appealing to international visitors,” she said.

“We look forward to welcoming more Vietnamese travellers to join us in discovering Singapore’s unique blend of culture, innovation and hospitality. Our commitment to the Vietnamese market remains strong as we continue to collaborate with in-market partners, including key industry leaders, key opinion leaders (KOLs), media outlets, and more,” she said.

“Together, we aim to curate high-quality tourism products and create engaging campaigns that resonate with our Vietnamese audience. By doing so, we hope to inspire even more travel and exploration,” she added.

STB projects a robust increase in international visitor arrivals, forecasting between 15 million to 16.5 million visitors, with tourism receipts expected to reach an unprecedented S$27.5 billion (US$20.3 billion) to S$29 billion.

Since reopening its borders in 2022, Singapore has experienced a strong resurgence in tourism. In 2023, the country welcomed over 13.6 million international visitors.

To further enhance its appeal, S$300 million has been injected into the Tourism Development Fund to help businesses create and anchor more new products and experiences, ensuring Singapore remains a top-tier destination, she said.

"As we continue to welcome more visitors back to Singapore, a robust leisure and MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions) events calendar adds to Singapore’s vibrancy. Our diverse and exciting events line-up helps to maintain Singapore’s international mindshare and reinforces our position as a compelling leisure and MICE destination," she added.

Launched in September 2023, the “Made in Singapore” global brand campaign aimed to captivate Vietnamese visitors by spotlighting quintessentially Singapore experiences, from iconic attractions to hidden gems, and how ordinary moments are turned into extraordinary experiences in Singapore.

Singapore has developed a diverse range of attractive tourism and lifestyle offerings to appeal to travellers of different interests and passions.

It also has a refreshing and exciting line-up of leisure events coming up for the rest of this year that includes global pop culture, lifestyle events and music festivals.

Locals and visitors can also look forward to other year-end favourites such as Christmas on A Great Street at Orchard Road, Christmas Wonderland at Gardens by the Bay and Marina Bay Singapore Countdown. Singapore’s concert scene continues to thrive with upcoming performances by BABYMONSTER, Jay Chou, Andy Lau and Dua Lipa. —VNS