Figures released by The Singapore Tourism Board reveal that the city-state’s casinos are losing out to their Malls. Shopping, it seems is becoming more popular than gambling.
Shopping has now become the biggest source of income in the Singapore’s tourism industry for the first time since 2012. It has grown a huge 44% in the six months to the end of June. The probable cause is the rise in the number of first-time Chinese visitors.
Chinese Visitors to Singapore
Last year over 2 million Chinese visited Singapore. This figure has almost doubled in the six years since the city opened the first of its two casinos. Visitors from China, India and Indonesia were the top spenders in the second quarter of 2016, accounting for 40% of all tourist receipts. 25% of this was shopping, up from 18% last year.
Chinese visitors also spent a huge S$1.15 billion ($807 million) shopping in the city-state in 2105. In the same period Japanese visitors spent S$112 million and Indians S$175 million. Desopite their shopping expenditure, the Chinese spent the least on food and accommodation.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-12-11/singapore-casinos-are-so-last-year-as-tourists-decide-they-d-rather-shop?utm_source=ITPS+Amusement+INdustry+News&utm_campaign=d7211b2a7d-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2016_12_12&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_51d9c64022-d7211b2a7d-212823881
