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Singapore Tourism
Tourism had been an important sector of Singapore's
economy for
more than a decade, averaging 16 percent of total foreign
exchange
earnings and 6 percent of GDP between 1980 and 1985.
Tourist
arrivals had dropped sharply in 1983, however, the first
decline in
over twenty years. The decrease resulted both from the
regional and
world economic downturn at that time and from travel
restrictions
instituted by neighboring countries to preserve their own
foreign
exchange. Observers noted also that Singapore was losing
its
"oriental mystique and charm." In its effort to build a
modern
city, it had torn down old buildings and curtailed
traditional
street activities, aspects considered by tourists to be
part of
Singapore's attraction. In 1984 the government established
a
Tourism Task Force to recommend ways to attract more
visitors, and
the following year the budget of the Singapore Tourist
Promotion
Board was increased by 60 percent. Steps were taken to
preserve
areas of special architectural, historical, or cultural
interest.
Sentosa Island, off the southern coast, was developed as a
resort
and recreation center, complete with museums, parks, golf
courses,
lagoons, beaches, trails, and gardens, all connected by
monorail.
Singapore also began billing itself as the "hub of
Southeast Asia"
and marketing sidetrips to destinations in neighboring
countries.
As with other economic activities, tourism was viewed as a
high
value-added industry. Although increasing the absolute
number of
visitor arrivals was the main target, a further aim was to
attract
the high-spending, business visitors attending conventions
and
trade exhibitions, which Singapore hosted in large
numbers.
Tourist arrivals recovered quickly from the 1983
downturn,
reaching 3 million in 1985. In 1987 tourist arrivals
reached 3.7
million, a 15 percent increase over the previous year. In
1988
arrivals rose another 14 percent to nearly 4.2 million.
Singapore's
top tourist-generating markets in 1987 were ASEAN (29
percent),
Japan (15 percent), Australia (9 percent), India (7
percent), the
United States (6 percent), and Britain (5 percent).
Although a
building boom had caused a glut of hotel rooms in the
mid-1980s, by
early 1989 occupancy was running at about 80 percent.
Data as of December 1989
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