Stay longer and spend more, Singapore urges tourists

Here's how it plans to lure big spenders in.

Singapore wants to shrug off its image of being a mere layover for high-spending tourists en route to other destinations, according to a report by BMI Research.

Part of Singapore’s game plan are heavy investments in transport infrastructure, as well as new marketing campaigns designed to turn transit passengers into longer-stay visitors.

“In general Singapore is seen as a short-stay destination; however the country is keen to attract longer-stay visitors and is investing heavily in supporting tourism infrastructure. [It is also] developing its marketing campaigns and adding to its range of attractions (such as the resort island of Sentosa) accordingly,” said the report.

BMI expects these initiatives to succeed and forecasts that the average length of stay in Singapore will increase from 2016-2019. This trend will be reflected by the city-state’s impressively high hotel room occupancy, the report said.

“The high occupancy rate is a positive reflection of the potential for returns on investment in Singapore's hotel industry and is one of the highest occupancy rates in the Asia Pacific region,” BMI noted.