Daily Briefing: Singapore’s housing seriously unaffordable; Singapore misses tourism receipts

And global retailers eye Singapore for expansion.

The 12th Annual Demographia International Housing Affordability Survey have recently been published and Singapore has been categorized as a Seriously Unaffordable place for housing. Is this true and how much depth did the survey cover? Read more here.

Singapore missed its targeted receipts from tourism last year and said 2016 figures may remain flat as global economic uncertainties curb visitor arrivals. Tourism receipts fell 6.8 percent to S$22 billion ($16 billion) in 2015, largely because of a decline in business visitor arrivals and spending, the Singapore Tourism Board said Monday in a statement citing preliminary estimates. The board said it forecasts receipts of S$22 billion to S$22.4 billion this year. Find out more here.

Singapore ranked 9th in top target market by international retailers in 2016, with 21 percent of survey respondents saying they are eyeing to set-up a presence or expand in the country,revealed a CBRE report. The city-state tied in the rank with Spain. Meanwhile, Germany clinched the number one spot as 35 percent of international brands are keen to establish or strengthen their presence there, followed by France (33 percent) and the United Kingdom (29 percent). Read more here.