SINGAPORE — The Republic is the top Asia Pacific holiday destination for travellers from China, noted a Hotels.com survey released on Tuesday (July 18). According to the online accommodation booking website’s Chinese International Travel Monitor, this trend is set to continue in the next 12 months.

“Given the rising Chinese middle-class, and their vast disposable income, countries cannot ignore the impact that Chinese tourists can have on a country’s economy,” said Ms Jessica Chuang, regional marketing director, Greater China, South-east Asia and India, Hotels.com.

Since the relaxation of visa regulations for Chinese nationals in 2015, tourist arrivals into the Republic from China have surged, said Hotels.com.

Visitors from China increased by 13.7 per cent in the first quarter of this year, overtaking Indonesia as the fastest growing market for tourist arrivals here.

The study, an annual research commissioned by Hotels.com, was conducted with Chinese travellers aged 18 to 57 years old who have travelled overseas in the past 12 months.

It combines data from more than 3,000 Chinese international travellers and over 3,800 Hotels.com accommodation partners globally with Hotels.com’s own data and other third-party research.

The research shows that Chinese tourists are expected to spend an average of seven days per visit, with an average expenditure of US$446 (S$610) per day.

Overall, they spend a whopping 28 per cent of their income on average on international travel, with millennials being the biggest spenders, allocating 35 per cent of their income to travel.

Despite concerns of a slowdown in the Chinese economy, the latest survey found that spending on travel increased across all age brackets, with Chinese travellers spending an average of US$3,623 in the last 12 months — an increase of 4 per cent compared with the previous year. Looking ahead, Chinese travellers declared an intention to spend an average of 10 per cent more on travel over the next 12 months.

While Chinese tourists increased their spending on dining, sightseeing and rest and relaxation activities, their interest in shopping halved from 68 per cent in 2016 to just 33 per cent this year, according to the report.

Singapore’s reputation as one of the safest cities has been one of the key reasons why Chinese travellers are choosing the Republic as a favoured travel destination, as safety is ranked one of the most important considerations, added Hotels.com.

The tourism sector is one of Singapore’s key service sectors, contributing 4 per cent of the country’s gross domestic product.

Last year was a record year for Singapore tourism, with visitor arrivals growing by 8 per cent to 16.4 million, while tourism receipts rose by 13 per cent to S$24.6 billion.

The first three months of the year recorded a 4 per cent growth in visitor arrivals, with 1.478 million visitors in March, up from 1.4 million in the same period last year, according to the Singapore Tourism Board.

In April, the Singapore Tourism Board, Singapore Airlines and Changi Airport Group announced a S$34 million joint investment over three years to market the Republic as a stopover hub.

The partnership will target travellers within six hours’ flight of Singapore — China, Japan and Australia, in particular — to spend a few days in Singapore as part of a longer trip before heading to other regional destinations like Bali and Phuket.