Indian declared 10 mn visitor to Singapore in 2007

Mumbai, Dec 23: An Indian was declared as 10 millionth visitor to Singapore in 2007 at Changi Airport today. According to a release issued here, as Singapore achieved a new milestone for its tourism sector Mr Sanjeev Bhandari arrived by Singapore Airlines flight SQ 439 with his family from Hyderabad at Singapore's Changi Airport early this morning to a surprise welcome organized by the Singapore Tourism Board (STB).

The celebratory moment was shared with spectators and other visitors at a colorful ceremony held at Changi Airport's Terminal two Arrival Hall. As a result of a booming economy, the outbound tourism market in India has been growing by leaps and bounds in recent years. In 2006, the outbound tourism from India recorded an increase of 16 per cent in comparison to the previous year. Apart from those travelling from the metros, it has been observed that outbound tourism from the mini-metros is also on a rise.

As per the Indian visitor arrival statistics to Singapore from January to October 2007, Hyderabad ranks as the fifth largest visitor source from India for Singapore with an increase of over 20 per cent from 2006. In fact, Hyderabad has registered strong double digit growth year-on-year over the last few years, the release informed.

Commenting on Singapore's latest record breaking achievement, Ms Siew-Kheng Kang, Regional Director - South Asia, Middle East and Africa, Singapore Tourism Board said, ''This is a fantastic piece of news, a milestone in our growth story.

Over the years, India has become an important source of tourism arrivals for us, in the top five. Our top eight source cities in India contribute some 51 per cent of all arrivals from India, and among them, Hyderabad has registered double-digit growth in the last five years.''

India was the fourth largest inbound market for visitor arrivals to Singapore contributing to seven per cent of the total Visitor Arrivals in 2006.

From January to October 2007 there were 615,732 visitors from India, an increase of 13 per cent relative to the same period of the previous year.

Meanwhile, Sanjeev Bhandari has won for himself and his family members many exciting prizes, which includes complimentary stays at Shangri-La Singapore, Amara Sanctuary Resort, a luxury cruise onboard the SuperStar Gemini, a ride atop the HiPPO bus to view the spectacular Christmas Light-up along Orchard Road, and personalized guided tours customized to suit his interests and much more,. the release added.

UNI