Singapore tops Kuala Lumpur, Tokyo as top Asian destination for business and leisure

The city-state expects 12.11m visitors in 2016.

Singapore has grown more popular in 2016 as a top global destination for business and leisure, as it has been ranked second in Asia and sixth in the world by international visitor arrivals.

According to study by Mastercard, Singapore has moved up one rank from 2015, posting a 4.1% jump from the 2015 Mastercard Global Destinations Cities Index.

In Asia, it was bested only by Bangkok, which is expected to receive 21.47m visitors in 2016. The top five are rounded out by Kuala Lumpur (12.02m visitors), Tokyo (11.7m visitors), and Seoul (10.2m visitors).

The index revealed that Singapore is expected to receive 12.11m visitors in 2016, with more than 77% of visitors arriving for leisure or personal purposes.

“It is projected that international visitor spending in Singapore will reach US$12.5 billion, with large proportions dedicated to local services (31.8% of total expenditure), accommodation (29.0% of total expenditure) and shopping (22.5% of total expenditure),” Mastercard stated.

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