Singapore is actively targeting Indian tourists as a key market for growth. The Singapore Tourism Board has entered into partnerships with Indian companies such as PhonePe, MakeMyTrip, and designer Rahul Mishra to attract more Indian visitors. These collaborations aim to make it easier for Indian travelers to visit Singapore by offering direct transactions from Indian bank accounts, creating tailored holiday packages, and showcasing the city as a destination for weddings. Singapore hosted 1.1 million Indian visitors in 2023 and is working towards reaching 90-95% of its pre-pandemic numbers this year.
To facilitate the growth of Indian tourism, Singapore has plans to streamline the tourist visa process for Indian travelers and has established direct flights from 17 Indian cities to improve connectivity between the two countries. The city-state is also expanding its infrastructure by adding 9,000 new hotel rooms to accommodate both tourists and business travelers. Poh Chi Chuan, from the Singapore Tourism Board, emphasized that Singapore is not only targeting tourism traffic from India but also catering to business travelers given the growing trade relations and thriving Indian economy.
The collaboration with PhonePe will allow Indian travelers to conduct transactions in Singapore directly from their Indian bank accounts by scanning a QR code during their visit. This partnership comes after the agreement with MakeMyTrip, which aims to increase inbound travel to Singapore through joint activations and campaigns tailored for Indian consumers. Singapore was one of the top three searched international destinations on MakeMyTrip’s platform last year, indicating a growing interest in the city as a travel destination.
The partnership with designer Rahul Mishra highlights Singapore’s offerings for Indian weddings, a market that prioritizes creating distinctive and unforgettable experiences for guests. Indian weddings are known for their extravagance, with Skift Research estimating that a typical Indian wedding at an international destination costs about $215,000. Singapore is leveraging the power of Indian celebrities, such as Bollywood actress Ananya Panday, to showcase a new and exciting side of the city through a vlog series that aims to attract Indian tourists.
In addition to targeting leisure travelers, Singapore is also focusing on attracting business travelers from India, given the growing trade relations between the two countries. The Singapore Tourism Board is working to create a seamless travel experience for Indian visitors through collaborations with Indian companies and initiatives to enhance the overall tourism infrastructure in the city-state. With India emerging as a key market for growth, Singapore is proactively positioning itself as a preferred destination for Indian travelers, offering unique experiences and tailored services to cater to their specific needs and preferences.
