The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) has announced plans to streamline the visa process for Indian tourists, anticipating a significant influx of over 1.5 million visitors from India in 2024.

Senior tourism officials revealed that the country is intensifying efforts to enhance its hospitality infrastructure, including the addition of hotel rooms, to accommodate the anticipated surge.

Before the onset of the pandemic-induced lockdown, Singapore welcomed 1.4 million tourists from India in 2019.

Although this figure dropped to 1.1 million in 2023, the STB remains optimistic about the potential rebound in tourism from India this year.

Poh Chi Chuan, the Executive Director of Exhibition & Conference at the Singapore Tourism Board, emphasized the importance of facilitating seamless and hassle-free visa procedures for Indian tourists.

The STB, with offices in Mumbai, Delhi, and Chennai, is actively working towards this objective to further encourage Indian travelers to visit Singapore.

Highlighting the infrastructural developments, Poh disclosed plans for the addition of 9,000 new hotel rooms to the existing 72,000 rooms in Singapore.

“We need visitors to come and fill these rooms,” Poh emphasized during a press conference, expressing hope for the restoration of flight operations between India and Singapore to pre-pandemic levels.

Anticipating an increase in tourist arrivals with the resumption of international flights by new carriers operating in India, Poh underscored the significance of both tourism and business travel between Singapore and India.

He emphasized that Singapore is not only targeting tourist traffic but also aims to attract business travelers, given the growing trade relations and the robust Indian economy.

With strategic initiatives in place to enhance visa procedures and expand hospitality infrastructure, Singapore is poised to capitalize on the immense tourism potential offered by the Indian market in 2024.