SINGAPORE, Feb 13 — Visitor arrivals to the Republic last year hit a record high that far exceeded targets, while preliminary estimates of tourism spending showed a modest increase.

In its Year-In-Review for 2018 released today, the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) said total visitor arrivals for 2018 hit 18.5 million, up 6.2 per cent from 2017.

This was driven by double-digit growth in visitor arrivals from India, US, Vietnam and the United Kingdom.

Meanwhile, preliminary estimates for tourism receipts (TR) for last year showed a 1 per cent increase from 2017 to S$27.1 billion (RM81.33 billion), as a drop in shopping, accommodation and food and beverage spending was offset by higher spending in sightseeing, entertainment and gaming.

This is the third consecutive year of strong growth for the tourism sector, the STB said.

A closer look at tourism spending in 2018