Visitor arrivals in S'pore slip 2.8% in H1

[SINGAPORE] Visitor arrivals in Singapore slipped 2.8 per cent year on year to 7.5 million in the first half of 2014 as the number of Chinese visitors during the six month period slumped 30 per cent.

Stripping out China, visitor arrivals in Singapore would have been up 2.3 per cent, according to a report from the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) released on Tuesday.

New tourism laws in China, implemented in October last year, which clamp down on "zero-dollar tours" that hit tourists with surprise fees have contributed to falling tourist volumes from China. The disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 in March this year, political tensions in Thailand and the spate of kidnappings in Sabah have also affected tourism demand. Chinese tourists typically travel to Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand as part of a multi-destination tour.