SINGAPORE, Nov 25 — Tourist arrivals fell half a per cent year on year to 845,000 in October, after September saw the first increase this year.
However, the average occupancy rate (AOR) for hotels was at 82.7 per cent in October — the highest for the year.
Visitor days came to 3.3 million, 4.6 per cent lower than in October 2008.
Indonesia, China, Australia, Malaysia and India were the top five visitor-generating markets in October, accounting for 52 per cent of October’s visitor arrivals.
Of the top 15 visitor-generating markets, Hong Kong registered the biggest rise, with visitors surging 27.4 per cent to 26,000. Malaysia also posted a strong increase in visitor numbers, up 26.2 per cent to 69,000.
China recorded its first increase — up 8.4 per cent at 83,000 — since May 2008, thanks to an ‘“unprecedented eight-day Golden Week holiday”, the Singapore Tourism Board said.
However, arrivals from South Korea almost halved, dropping 48.1 per cent to 16,000.
Overall, hotel room revenue was almost a quarter lower than in October 2008, down 24.4 per cent to S$135 million (RM329 million).
AOR rose 0.8 of a percentage point to 82.7 per cent. But the average room rate (ARR) dropped 24.2 per cent to $181, while revenue per available room (Revpar) fell 23.4 per cent to S$150.
Occupancies were markedly stronger than in previous months across the various categories. The AOR for luxury hotels was 78.3 per cent, an increase of 2.9 percentage points. Upscale hotels were up 1.3 percentage points at 84 per cent.
Mid-tier hotels maintained a constant 85 per cent. Economy hotels was the only category to see occupancy dip year on year, falling 1.2 percentage points to 77 per cent.
For ARR, luxury hotels recorded the smallest decline — down 22.7 per cent at S$298 in October. Economy hotels saw the biggest drop of the four categories, down 29 per cent at S$82.
Luxury hotels also saw the smallest decline in Revpar, down 19.7 per cent at $233. Economy hotels had the biggest decrease, plummeting 30.1 per cent to S$63. — Business Times Singapore
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