FILIPINO TOURISTS WELCOME IN SG

The Singapore Tourism Board sees more Filipino millennials picking the city state as their next travel destination. Aside from younger travelers, they also expect corporate clients to pick Singapore for incentive trips.

While Singapore is already enjoying heavy tourist traffic, its government is still keen on attracting more, especially in Southeast Asia.

Specifically, Singapore is luring more Filipino tourists to visit their country, with the rising number of Filipino millennials traveling, either for leisure or for meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions (Mice).

“The millennials are becoming a market itself,” said Mary Grace Cuenca, the Singapore Tourism Board’s (STB) international group manager for the Philippines.

Cuenca was in Cebu to announce its collaboration with Silk Air and Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) to introduce travel perks, refresh information about Singapore and its yearround activities.

Cuenca said Singapore has been a favorite destination among younger Filipinos. Last year, some 622,836 Filipinos visited Singapore from January to November 2016, up by 2.9 percent.

She attributed this positive trend to Filipinos’ outgoing mindset and increased consumer spending.

“Filipinos are very travel savvy and we see this across all generations. Thanks to social media, they are exposed to many options,” said Cuenca.

Aside from luring more young travelers, Cuenca is also expecting more corporate clients to host incentive trips to Singapore.

Cuenco said they see movements from clients in pharmaceutical, insurance, and multi-level marketing picking Singapore as their top destination for employee incentives.

“Singapore always offers its visitors something new and unique to discover. From world- class attractions and entertainment that will surely make travelers ask for more,” said Lael Loh, Singapore Tourism Board area director for Philippines.