Hong Kong unrest drives tourists, businesses to Singapore

Recent figures from the Singapore Tourism board report that five million tourists visited the country from July to September 2019.

Of these, the majority of visitors came from Mainland China at 22 percent.

But, it seems that Singapore’s tourism industry is also benefiting from the ongoing political unrest in Hong Kong.

The Global Wellness Summit was originally set for Hong Kong, but organisers decided to move the three-day conference to Singapore last October citing that it was “important for the collective well-being of everyone involved with the Summit.” 

DBS Bank analyst Derek Tan also said that “Singapore may benefit twice as much from the Hong Kong fallout as both these destinations share similar traits, i.e. offering tourists a wide variety of entertainment, food and culture,” as quoted in a report by Bloomberg.

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Reports cite the surge in tourists in the third quarter to the recent reopening of the iconic Raffles Hotel, the new Jewel Changi Airport attraction, and the Formula One race held in the city centre and graced by performances from Gwen Stefani and the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

U2’s famed frontman Bono even called Singapore a “sci-fi city” during their first concert at the National Stadium last Saturday (Nov 30).

Bloomberg additionally projects a sunny 2020 for tourism in Singapore with upcoming international events such as the Singapore Airshow, Food and Hotel Asia conference, as well as Gamescom Asia sure to attract crowds of visitors./TISG

Singapore, Australia, Japan preferable as a destination over Hong Kong for mainland Chinese tourists