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SINGAPORE – Singapore said on Thursday it will likely miss its targets for travel arrivals and tourism revenues this year after the number of foreign visitors fell for the fourth straight month in September.
Visitors to the city-state totalled 739,000 in September, down 4.1 per cent year-on-year, the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) said in a statement.
Travellers from Indonesia, Australia, China, India and Japan accounted for 52 per cent of the arrivals.
Arrivals fell 4.1 per cent in June, 3.8 per cent in July and 7.7 per cent in August.
The STB said the decline in arrivals reflects the global economic slowdown, while the gloomy outlook for the tourism sector is likely to continue into next year.
‘With the current global economic climate, there is now a general air of uncertainty which has impacted consumer sentiments and discretionary spending.
‘Visitor arrivals and tourism receipts are expected to fall short of the 2008 targets,’ it said.
Singapore has aimed to attract 10.8 million visitors and earn tourism revenues of $15.5 billion (US$10.6 billion) this year.
The decline came even after Singapore hosted an estimated 40,000 foreign visitors for Formula One’s first ever night race on September 28. — AFP