Tour agencies upbeat about sales at Natas travel fair

Singaporeans and local residents have made many trips abroad since international borders reopened.

- Chin Soo Fang

Outbound travel last year saw an increase of 85 per cent over 2022, with more than 7.8 million departures in 2023.

Sharing these statistics at the opening ceremony of the National Association of Travel Agents Singapore (Natas) Travel 2024 at Singapore Expo on March 1, Singapore Tourism Board chief executive Melissa Ow said she is optimistic that given Singaporeans' love for travel, the numbers will remain healthy.

Inbound travel also signalled that recovery in Singapore's tourism sector has gained momentum, she said.

Driven by improved global flight connectivity and capacity, as well as the implementation of the 30day mutual visa exemption between Singapore and China in February, international visitor arrivals are expected to reach around 15 million to 16 million in 2024, bringing in approximately $26 billion to $27.5 billion in tourism receipts.

"While we remain optimistic, the path towards recovery is not without its challenges. Geopolitical uncertainty, the fragile state of the global economy and other factors, such as the continued restoration of flight connectivity, will have bearing on the pace of travel recovery," Ms Ow added.

Natas deputy president Simon Er said the continuous growth in travel in 2023 was a huge motivation for the travel industry.

He noted that Changi Airport Group has reported that the total passenger movement for 2023 was 58.9 million. This was an improvement from the 32.2 million passengers in 2022.

"Changi Airport Group has also reported that they are working with airline partners to increase connectivity to other parts of South-east Asia, which allows greater accessibility between countries," he said.