Singapore is the fourth most visited city in the world

The city registered 17.6 million visitors this year.

Singapore snagged the fourth spot in a list of the most visited cities worldwide for the second time in a row, according to Euromonitor International’s top 100 city destinations.

Inbound arrivals in Singapore grew by 6.1% and is projected to grow at an exponential rate for the next eight years with projected visitor arrivals pegged at 21.3 million for 2020 and 30.2 million for 2025.

Euromonitor International notes the dominance of Asian cities in the top 10 as Hong Kong clinches the top spot for the second time with 26.6 million visitors, followed by Bangkok at 21.2 and London at 19.2 million arrivals. Other Asian neighbors in the top 10 include Macau, Dubai, Shenzen and Kuala Lumpur.

“Asia Pacific is the standout region driving change in travel. We expect the region to continue growing in the coming decade with Singapore overtaking London as the third most visited city in the world by 2025, giving the podium fully to Asia,” said Wouter Geerts of Euromonitor International.

As arrival numbers continue to soar, congestion is increasingly becoming an issue in Singapore with its limited land area.

To respond to this problem and ensure continued arrivals, Singapore has partnered with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) as part of its city-state Smart Nation programme where mobility, health and environment projects will be rolled out.

Part of the transition towards smart cities is the trend towards cashless economies. The report pointed out that Singapore is a big believer in the cashless revolution as card transactions accounted for more than 70% of the country’s total transactions.