Vaccinated travel lanes unlikely to save Singapore tourism sector just yet

SCHEMES for travellers vaccinated against Covid-19 to enter Singapore could bear fruit only next year, watchers have told The Business Times, as international arrivals to the Republic dipped month on month in August.

Singapore drew some 15,880 visitors in August, higher by 78.2 per cent on the year-ago downturn, but a drop of 14.3 per cent from the month before, data from the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) indicates.

The latest figures were collated ahead of the early-September launch of the vaccinated travel lanes (VTLs) with Germany and Brunei. But these arrangements are unlikely to buoy tourism-related services in the year-end period, especially as Singapore grapples with a fresh surge in Covid-19 infections.