Singapore Tourism Board, Singapore Airlines (SIA), and Scoot recently held an Industry Appreciation Gala night to thank and recognise their travel partners for the strong recovery of Indian visitors to Singapore in 2022. The networking event was held on January 17, 2023, at Bo Tai Switch, Shangri-La Eros Hotel in New Delhi. The three organisations also organised an award ceremony to honour and thank their travel partners for contributing to boost the number of Indian tourists visiting Singapore.
In 2022, visitor arrivals were driven by strong demand from Singapore’s key source markets, led by Indonesia (1.1 million), India (686,000), and Malaysia (591,000). Tourism Receipts (TR) reached $8.96 billion between January to September 2022. The top TR-generating markets were Indonesia, India, and Australia, which contributed $1.1 billion, $704 million, and $633 million in TR (excluding Sightseeing, Entertainment, and Gaming).
While speaking at the event, Brian Torrey, Scoot India’s General Manager, expressed his gratitude to all the business partners for their incredible support in all these years. According to him, the aviation sector faced a highly critical period. Furthermore, he highlighted about their plans to start operating from more Indian gateways, emphasizing Scoot as an affordable and comfortable mode of transportation.
While Raymond Lim, Area Director, Singapore Tourism Board, New Delhi, talked about India as an important source market for Singapore. Singapore Tourism Board sees uptick in Indian tourist arrivals in 2022. Indian visits to Singapore increased by about 50% in 2022 compared to the level in 2019. With the resumption of cursing for international cruisers, Singapore’s cruise industry witnessed an explosive growth propelled by rising number of cruise passengers from India. Royal Caribbean and Resorts World Cruises saw a significant increase in the number of Indian passengers between May and December. Following the relaxation of border restrictions and the implementation of safe management practices, MICE events also picks up pace in 2022.
Kelvin Kwan, Manager – Northern and Eastern India, Singapore Airlines, said, “We at Singapore Airlines are very confident because of the continued efforts that we’ve made during the pandemic years. Despite the challenges we’ve faced, we continue to put a lot of effort into the product and services that we have. We have also deployed more consistent products in terms of seats and aircraft types in India. We remain focused on India because India remains a priority market for Singapore Airlines. We are hoping 2023 to be a good year for the company.”
Highlights About Awards felicitation :
The Top Tech Partners were awarded to Make My Trip and EaseMyTrip.
Top MICE Partners included JTB India and Zenith Holidays.
DPauls Travel and Tours and Yorker Holidays Services were recognised as the Top Leisure Partners.
Top Business Partners were Yatra for Business and Ebix Travel and Holidays.
Emerging stars were FSR Travels and Trackbudget Travel Services.
