Just recently, Singapore was crowned the ‘almost perfect country’ by popular vlogging channel Nas Daily, and although there was quite a bit of ‘dissonance’ the compliment no doubt stands.

But it seems that it’s not just ‘non-sponsored’ compliments anymore, as Singapore has clinched yet another title in its short 53-year run.

The 5th most visited city in the World.

That’s right; in its short 53-year-run, Singapore has solved many problems.

And tourism, my man/woman, happens to be one of them.

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The Almost Perfect Tourist Destination

At the risk of milking something that’s pretty much past its time, Singapore, otherwise known as the ‘almost perfect country’, has retained its position as the fifth most visited global destination out of 162 cities, as well as the second most visited in Asia-Pacific behind Bangkok.

These statistics were derived based on the recent Mastercard Global Destination Cities Index, that was released on Tuesday (25 September).

And it seems that spending wise, Singapore’s pretty darn formidable too. Topping the chart for tourist spending in the Asia-Pacific region, the lion city also retains its fourth position (Arsenal?) globally for the second year in a row.

According to the Index, visitors splashed out an average of US$286 (S$390) a day here, culminating in a wholesome total of US$17.02 billion spent in 2017.

Interesting fact: tourists tend to stay in Singapore for an average of 4.3 nights. I went to Bangkok for 4 days 3 nights before. Coincidence?

Probably.

Our friendly visitors

Out of the total number of visitors who’ve been to Singapore over the previous year, China tourists took up the largest share, with 18.8 per cent.

This is followed closely by Indonesia (15 per cent), India (8.3 per cent), Australia (6.1 per cent) and Malaysia (5.2 per cent). In total, Singapore had a total number of 13.91 million visitors in 2017 alone, with a reported 6.1 per cent growth and growth forecast of 2.6 per cent.

“Singapore’s diverse offerings from its vibrant events all year round, unique tourist attractions and world-renowned cuisine have enabled the city to hold its place as one of the top five most popular destinations globally,” said Mastercard Singapore’s country manager Deborah Heng.

“The healthy year-on-year growth in visitor arrivals and the highest overall tourist expenditure in Asia demonstrates the strong partnerships between government and businesses in attracting travellers from all around the world.”

Popular destinations

Rather unsurprisingly, Bangkok clinched the top in the ‘Most Popular Destination in the World’ checklist with around 20 million visitors.

Thereafter, London, Paris and Dubai claim the subsequent spots, before Singapore barely makes it, edging out New York (which had 13.13 million visitors in 2017).

Spending wise, Dubai reigns supreme, with US$29.7 billion sucked in 2017, as well as an average spend of US$537 a day.

Mecca in Saudi Arabia plays the far-and-away second lead, with US$18.45 billion, followed by London at US$17.45 billion.

Singapore, again, plays the fourth fiddle (Hi, Arsenal).

(Article continues below) Xing Xing is a 34-year-old Singaporean lady who decides to meet up with an online friend she found in Facebook. But it turns out that he’s not what he seems to be: Prepare boxes of tissue and watch the saddest Singapore Facebook love story here:

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So what now?

With Singapore being top-tier on everyone’s go-to list, it seems that we can expect higher revenues for the country this year. What’s more, with all the Crazy Rich Asians and Nas Daily hype that took the world by storm just a couple of weeks back…

I guess Crazy Rich Asians might not be that far away a moniker after all.

But of course, the poor will stay poor, while the rich will get even richer. And as bastardising as it sounds, it’s just life.

Just the way the world works, really.

But anyways, lest any tourist is reading this, please note that the best satay isn’t in Newton. Nor is it by the bay #justsaying

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