Singapore Aims for Longer Stays and Repeat Visits as Indian Tourism Surpasses 600,000, ETTravelWorld
Singapore welcomed more than 600,000 visitors from India between January and June 2026, with the market also recording an 8% year-on-year rise in tourism receipts to S$374 million in the first quarter, prompting the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) to sharpen its focus on higher-value leisure, MICE, cruise and repeat travel from India.The first-half visitor figure reinforces India’s position as one of Singapore’s most important source markets. In 2025, India was the city-state’s fifth-largest source of international visitor arrivals, with 1.2 million Indian visitors, even as Singapore recorded a record 16.9 million international arrivals overall. Tourism receipts for the full year reached a record S$32.8 billion.For STB, however, the next phase of growth is increasingly about the quality and diversity of Indian visitation rather than arrivals alone. The tourism board is looking to encourage longer stays, repeat visits and higher-value travel through deeper trade partnerships, destination experiences and targeted consumer campaigns.India’s S$374 million in tourism receipts during Q1 2026 grew 8% year-on-year, with STB describing it as the highest growth among all its source markets. The performance, according to the board, points to growing Indian appetite for leisure, lifestyle and business experiences in Singapore.“India’s consistent performance is particularly meaningful given the global headwinds the travel industry has had to navigate in recent times. It is a testament to the strong relationships we have built with Indian travellers, our airline partners and the travel trade over the years,” said Markus Tan, Regional Director, India, Middle East, South Asia & Africa, Singapore Tourism Board.“As we look ahead, our focus remains on working closely with our partners to keep Singapore fresh, accessible and compelling — while continuing to drive quality travel and deepen the market’s long-term potential,” he added.
STB deepens trade partnerships
STB is strengthening its India strategy through partnerships spanning consumer travel, aviation and business events.One of the key initiatives is a pan-India campaign with MakeMyTrip running from July to November 2026, promoting Singapore hotel stays and holiday packages of four nights or more. The campaign is being targeted through MakeMyTrip BLACK as well as HSBC Premier members through a separate collaboration involving MakeMyTrip and HSBC India.The partnership also extends to the trade, with activations through MakeMyTrip’s B2B platform, myPartner. STB is additionally conducting a MICE roadshow in New Delhi and a leisure trade roadshow in Mumbai, seeking to strengthen engagement across both segments.The emphasis on four-night-plus packages is significant as Singapore looks to deepen visitor engagement rather than simply maximise short-break traffic. The strategy also reflects a broader shift in the destination’s positioning, with STB increasingly promoting Singapore as a multi-experience destination combining entertainment, culture, food, lifestyle, business events and cruise travel.
MICE becomes a bigger growth lever
MICE is emerging as a particularly important component of Singapore’s India strategy. STB said it hosted more than 6,000 Sun Pharma delegates in 2025, one of the largest Indian corporate incentive movements on record, and is continuing to see demand from large Indian companies.Recent group movements have included Google India, ICICI Lombard and Arvind Limited, with further business expected from the BFSI, pharmaceutical, IT and technology, FMCG, automotive and manufacturing sectors through the remainder of 2026.The Singapore Hotels Incentives for Business Events (SHINE) programme is also being used to strengthen the destination’s proposition for Indian meeting planners, offering preferential hotel rates, delegate experiences and other value-added benefits across participating properties.The growing importance of MICE fits into Singapore’s wider tourism strategy. In 2025, the country’s MICE tourism receipts reached S$2.3 billion, a 35% increase from S$1.7 billion in 2024, with MICE visitors typically generating higher spending than leisure travellers.
Cruise adds another layer
Singapore is also seeking to expand its appeal to Indian travellers through cruise tourism. The year-round deployment of Disney Adventure, which began in March 2026, is opening opportunities beyond traditional family holidays, including multigenerational travel, milestone celebrations and corporate incentive groups.The cruise pipeline is set to grow further, with Navigator of the Seas scheduled to be homeported in Singapore from October 2026 to October 2027, followed by Voyager of the Seas from January to April 2028 with new regional itineraries.
New experiences to drive repeat visits
STB is simultaneously investing in new attractions and experiences to give repeat visitors more reasons to return. Recent additions include Rainforest Wild Adventure and Exploria at Mandai Wildlife Reserve, the transformed Singapore Oceanarium at Resorts World Sentosa and the IMBA Theatre at Gardens by the Bay.The destination is also using its events calendar as a demand-generation tool, with Formula 1, major concerts and cultural and lifestyle events helping position Singapore as a year-round destination rather than a conventional short-break market. The 2026 calendar includes performances by artists including Post Malone, The Weeknd and BTS.This product refresh is part of STB’s wider Tourism 2040 strategy, which targets S$47-50 billion in tourism receipts by 2040 and focuses on cultivating future demand, creating an attractive destination and developing a future-ready tourism sector.
Targeting younger Indian travellers
Another area of focus is India’s younger and more affluent traveller base. STB’s global “We Don’t Wait For Fun” campaign, running across nine markets including India, is positioning Singapore around live entertainment, nightlife, music, food, culture and lifestyle.The board has also used collaborations with Indian cultural personalities to make the destination more relevant to younger audiences. These include a four-part “Rhythms of Singapore” series with indie band Twin Strings and a collaboration with rapper DIVINE on his music video “Saucy”, which showcased Singapore’s neighbourhoods through a contemporary lens.STB is now taking its Friends of Singapore 2.0 initiative towards an always-on digital model, working with influencers to regularly showcase new and evolving experiences to Indian consumers rather than relying solely on periodic destination campaigns.The strategy marks an evolution in Singapore’s approach to India: from building awareness and driving first-time visits to cultivating repeat travel, premium spending and stronger engagement across leisure, MICE and cruise segments.With more than 600,000 Indian visitors already recorded in the first six months of 2026 and tourism receipts showing stronger growth than any other source market in Q1, Singapore appears to be betting that the next phase of its India story will be measured not just in arrivals, but in what travellers do, how long they stay and how often they return.