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Tourist spending soars with packed Mice calendar but malls see mixed impact

Events in general did not boost mall footfall in tourist areas such as Orchard

Chong Xin Wei
Published Mon, Mar 24, 2025 · 05:00 AM
    • Taylor Swift fans hanging around the outdoor area of Kallang Wave Mall, which generally sees high footfall during the concert periods.
    • Taylor Swift fans hanging around the outdoor area of Kallang Wave Mall, which generally sees high footfall during the concert periods. PHOTO: ST

    [SINGAPORE] A well-stacked calendar of meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (Mice) and exclusive sell-out concerts greatly benefited Singapore’s hospitality sector and drove up room rates last year, but the impact on tourist footfall in malls is “more nuanced”, a recent consultancy report said.

    Tourism receipts hit an all-time high last year, chalking up S$22.4 billion in the first nine months of 2024, amid a robust calendar of events.

    But tourist foot traffic at malls near event venues varied, revealed an in-depth study by CBRE, which examined pre and post-event tourist footfall at malls.

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