The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) loves corporate folk from India. Last year, business travellers from this country numbered around 28,000 out of 3 million global visitors to Singapore. At less than 1%, the Indian contingent is not vast. But an STB official says Indian corporate travellers—mostly in their forties—spend more than their peers from other nations. In terms of total visitors to Singapore, India ranks fifth after Indonesia, China, Australia, and Malaysia. But when it comes to spends, India is only behind Malaysia and Australia.
“Our tourism board is unique because it doesn’t look only at [promoting] the leisure segment,” says Chang Chee Pey, STB’s executive director (international), who oversees South Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. Business travellers spend more than leisure travellers, stay in upper-class hotels, and eat at fine restaurants. “Indians are far more open to leisure after business, compared to other business travellers who typically go from work to hotel to airport,” adds Pey.
Indians find out what’s happening in and around the city, often meeting friends during weekends. Indian companies have had a big presence in the island city since 2005 when the two nations signed the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement. That aside, Singapore is the quintessential business city. It earned $5.5 billion (Rs 26,591 crore) in 2013 by organising travel meetings, conventions, and exhibitions. And Indian business travellers’ contribution to that is on the rise.
