British country Tony Cross made his first trip to Singapore in 1992, when the city-state’s main attraction was its dazzling shopping malls, the pulsating Zouk nightclub and the famous Singapore Zoo.
Today, shopping has regressed as the prices of goods have risen along with commercial rents in scarce cities. Moreover, Singapore’s once dangerous club industry is facing tough times, suffering high damage and drinking habits.
Competition from other Southeast Asian cities, much cheaper competition is also heating up.
Singapore is not competing for prices, but relies on world-class attractions Pier Bay Beach,,,,, Bay Garden and extension Mandy Wildlife Sanctuary Attract budget and luxury travelers.
Others attended business meetings and live events, from an annual night game to concerts with superstars like Taylor Swift and Coldplay. This year, Singapore will host Lady Gaga’s concerts on May 18, 19, 21 and 24, her only stop in the Asia-Pacific region – according to Singapore Airlines, his rewards program Krisflyer is a concert partner.
“Singapore was outstanding in the 1980s and 1990s as accessible Southeast Asia. But many other cities in the region have now improved their game,” said Cross, an economic adviser who visited the island country about 20 times over the past three decades.
Experience Economy
According to Singapore Tourism Board, Singapore attracted 16.5 million overseas tourists in 2024, an increase of 21% from 2023. These figures do not include the thousands of people entering Singapore every day through the bridge connecting Singapore with Malaysia.
This was a huge increase compared to 1992, when city-states attracted less than 6 million visitors, according to the country’s National Archives. However, it is still not far from the 19.1 million people that arrived in 2019.
Taylor Swift performed at the Singapore National Stadium on March 2, 2024.
Ashok Kumar/tas24 | Getty Images Entertainment | Getty Images
Singapore Tourism Board predicts that the arrival of tourists will grow to between 17 million and 18.5 million this year, a series of lifestyles and improvements to rats (conferences, incentives, conferences and exhibitions) from Rainforest Wild Asiathe park opened last week, heads to the Disney Adventure Cruise, which is scheduled to sail in December.
Singapore Tourism Board tells CNBC Travel It will continue to support projects that are in line with the global transition to experiential travel.
Galastein Tan is the former head of the company’s large event, which was the venue for Taylor Swift’s concert last year, and is responsible for Singapore’s sports hub. This involves developing portfolios of fixed assets such as Marina Bay Beach and “liquid” assets, such as concerts, sports and cultural events.
He said having a wide range of tourist attractions will also increase domestic spending and create jobs locally.
A visitor explores a cave room in the Rainforest Wild Asia that opened in March 2025, the park is part of the Mandy Wildlife Sanctuary.
Suhaimi Abdulla | Parenting | Getty Images
Last year, Singapore’s retail and food and beverage sector signed contracts, even as the overall economy grew by 4.4%, offsetting the increase in tourism revenue as Singapore residents spend more than foreign countries.
“Singapore remains ahead as regional countries and cities are catching up and strengthening their unique tourism portfolio,” Tan said. “There are more options now.”
Expensive hotels and cheap food
Online travel giant Expedia said searches for flights from China, Indonesia and India to Singapore, the three largest tourist sources of the city’s country, fell by 1% from February 2025 to July 2025 compared to the previous six months. Search accommodation also fell 2% during the same period, the company said.
Singapore remains a popular destination for the Mouse Event, with Paris ranked second in the 2023 city rankings of the International Conference and Conference Association. However, Thailand and Malaysia are joining the industry, due to lower costs and increased infrastructure.
Singapore is the perfect place to host events…but the cost is high.
Albert Lee
Event organizer
Albert Lee, organizer of the Malaysian event, said quality meeting space in Kuala Lumpur can be rented half of Singapore and half of the cost in Singapore, while dinners with entertainment and transportation can be arranged at a third of the price. He added that the cost of Bangkok is comparable to that of Kuala Lumpur.
“Singapore is the perfect place to host events – it’s beautiful, safe, accessible and STB is very helpful. But the cost is high.”
Lee notes that while Kuala Lumpur doesn’t have an iconic hotel like Singapore’s Marina Bay Beach, the city’s five-star hotel costs much less. For example, a review from Hotels.com shows that a room in Shangri-La Singapore costs $500 ($375 per night) while SG is $170 per night at its sister hotel in Kuala Lumpur.
Find value
The Singapore Tourism Board has been trying to change the perception of how much this view can be done in a day due to Singapore’s public transport system, thanks to Singapore’s public transport system, and that’s also true.
“We have worked with various influencers to show how Singapore provides value, but also how travelers can maximize their itinerary and time in our destination,” a spokesperson said.
Japanese businessman Yoshihiko Tano often goes to Singapore to catch up with friends, saying that while the hotel is expensive, it is thanks to many hawker centers where meals and drinks can be purchased for under $10.
The Lau PA SAT Hawker Center in Singapore is located in the city’s central business district.
Roslan Rahman | AFP | Getty Images
“Hawkingmi is my favorite local food,” he said, adding that he also likes nature walking through many of Singapore’s parks.
City-states can also rely on the support of repeated tourists such as Nazi Tanzeem, who said Singapore is still an ideal destination for Indians.Dekhoji Dekho Singapore“Hindi songs from films made in 1960.
She said Tanzem lived in Singapore for a few years before moving to Bangalore, where it was cheaper to go to school for the kids, but her husband continued to work in the city state.
“There are a lot of people who want to visit Singapore at least once in their lifetime,” she said.
