Singapore visitors fall for first time in 51 months

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SINGAPORE, July 26 (AFP): The number of visitors to Singapore fell 4.1 per cent in June, the first monthly decline after more than four years of gains, the city-state's tourism board said.

"Prior to June 2008, Singapore's tourism sector had achieved 51 consecutive months of year-on-year growth" in visitor arrivals, the board said in a statement yesterday.

June's decline followed an increase of 0.8 per cent in April and May as the economic climate worsened, the board said.

The figures compare with the same months last year. Overall visitor arrivals during the first six months of this year totalled 5.1 million, a 2.9 per cent increase over the first half of 2007, it said.

But tourism receipts fell 0.2 per cent year-on-year in the January to June period, to an estimated 6.5 billion Singapore dollars (4.7 billion US).

The January to June arrival numbers were the highest ever recorded for that period and represent 47 per cent of this year's target of 10.8 million visitors, the tourism board said.

Singapore's long-term target is to attract 17 million visitors generating 30 billion Singapore dollars in receipts by 2015.

The tourism board blamed the weaker numbers on a slowing global economy, higher air travel costs and fuel prices, as well as foreign exchange rates.