Tourism players hitch a lift as Singapore Grand Prix flags off once more

AFTER a forced 2-year break brought on by the global pandemic, the Singapore Grand Prix is finally zipping back into town. This is the first race since 2019 as Singapore doubles down on the rebound in travel and tourism, having freshly inked a 7-year contract to remain a host venue.

In a nod to pent-up demand for travel and anything resembling normalcy, tickets sales for the 2022 Singapore Grand Prix (Sep 30-Oct 2) have been selling fast and furious since they were first released for sale on Apr 13. In fact, race promoter Singapore GP is banking on hitting sales volumes that rival the 2019 edition, which saw 268,000 race-goers over the 3 days. Incidentally, that was the second-highest tally since 300,000 spectators thronged the Marina Bay circuit during the inaugural race back in 2008.

A street race held in the heart of the city, the Singapore Grand Prix has earned the Republic over S$1.5 billion in incremental tourism receipts and attracted over 550,000 unique international visitors since its debut in 2008.