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India has emerged as one of the top three markets for visitor arrivals in Singapore with 1.2 million Indians visiting the city-state in 2024, the tourism board here said on Tuesday. China topped the tourist list with 3.08 million arrivals to Singapore followed by Indonesia with 2.49 million arrivals. International visitor arrivals continued a steady recovery from 2023, increasing by 21 per cent to 16.5 million in 2024, the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) said in its year-in-review report. Singapore's pre-pandemic peak in 2019 saw 19.1 million arrivals. China (3.08 million arrivals), Indonesia (2.49 million) and India (1.2 million) emerged as the top three source markets for visitors, with a mix of short-, mid- and long-haul markets such as Japan, Taiwan, the United Kingdom and the United States showing 'healthy year-on-year growth', said the STB. Tourism receipts or spending for the full year are likely to reach the upper bound of the statutory board's forecast of SGD 27.5 billion to
An enthusiastic Indian diaspora dressed in vibrant traditional dresses on Sunday celebrated India's 76th Republic Day at the country's missions abroad where the national tri-colour was unfurled with global leaders from Nepal, Australia, Singapore, extending their greetings, highlighting their strong friendship with India. In Beijing, officials and diaspora members attended the flag unfurling ceremony on the premises of the Indian Embassy. India's Ambassador to China Pradeep Rawat read out the important parts of the President's speech. "Ambassador unfurled tri-colour at @EOIBeijing marking the #76thRepublicDay. He also read the Hon'ble President's Republic Day message to Embassy officials and members of the Indian community who attended the ceremony in large numbers. The event also included vibrant cultural performances," the Indian Embassy in China said in a post on X along with some pictures. In Sri Lanka, the island nations' Navy band performed Indian patriotic tunes in a ...
Asserting that India is emerging as a major pole in world economy, Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam on Saturday said his country was trying to contribute to the semiconductor ecosystem and the air connectivity sector. "India aspires to be a pole in its own right, in a multipolar world that is true geopolitically, but it is also true economically. India is emerging as a major pole of the global economy. India is a nation with which we would like to collaborate," he said, while briefing the media at the end of his two-day tour to Odisha. "Because of its demographics, its own development processes, and significant potential in its export economy, India is a nation that Singapore would likely collaborate with," he added. Stating that "India's priorities and Singapore's priorities are also very similar," the President added, "According to the priorities established under the India-Singapore Ministerial Roundtable, the two governments are working together to develop the ...
India and Singapore are working on establishing a green energy corridor and looking at boosting cooperation in areas like green hydrogen, green shipping, semiconductor and manufacturing, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Friday. The MEA said this while briefing the media on the ongoing visit of Singaporean President Tharman Shanmugaratnam to India. Shanmugaratnam held separate talks with President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday with a broad focus on further expansion of the bilateral ties. There is already work going on for setting up a green hydrogen corridor between the eastern part of India and Singapore, Secretary (East) in the MEA Jaideep Mazumdar said. The green corridor includes a link from Tuticorin and another from Paradip in Odisha, Mazumdar said. The two sides are also looking at setting up a data corridor between the GIFT City in Gujarat and Singapore. The data corridor is an important venture between Gujarat's GIFT City and .
Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam is scheduled to visit Odisha for two days starting Friday, during which at least eight MoUs will be signed between the island country and the coastal state. The Singapore President's visit is coming to Odisha just days ahead of the business conference 'Utkarsh Odisha: Make-in-Odisha conclave', slated for January 28 and 29. Accompanied by a high-level delegation, including ministers, MPs, and officials, President Shanmugaratnam will arrive in Bhubaneswar at 11.30 am. Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, other ministers and senior officials will meet him in a hotel later. In the afternoon, he will attend signing of the MoU seeking to extend cooperation in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) to further enhance the skill development ecosystem, particularly for the semiconductor industry in the state. Another MoU will be signed between Odisha Industrial Infrastructure Development (IDCO) and Sembcorp, Singapore. For the
India and Singapore are cooperating in critical sectors like advanced manufacturing and semiconductors as the relations are on a "new trajectory" of growth, Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam said on Thursday. Shanmugaratnam, on a five-day visit to India, held separate talks with President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi with a broad focus on further expansion of the bilateral ties. The Singapore president told reporters that a data corridor between the GIFT City in Gujarat and his country is being explored so that the financial institutions of the two sides can exchange data on a safe and trusted basis. He said the possibility of a "corridor for renewable energy" between India and Singapore is also being looked at. Delving into strong Singapore-India ties in the last few decades, he said the two countries are now on a new trajectory of cooperation after the ties were upgraded to a comprehensive strategic partnership during Modi's visit to the city state in
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday called on Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and discussed Comprehensive Strategic Partnership during the bilateral meeting. "Honoured to meet with His Excellency the President of the Republic of Singapore @Tharman_S. India values its comprehensive strategic partnership with Singapore. This visit by the President will strengthen our bilateral relationship which marks its 60th anniversary," the Finance Minister said in a post on X. India-Singapore relations were elevated to Comprehensive Strategic Partnership during the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Singapore in September 2024. The president is accompanied by Chee Hong Tat, Second Minister for Finance and Minister for Transport. "The two leaders discussed #ComprehensiveStrategicPartnership between the two countries highlighting sectors such as #fintech, #digital technologies, #semiconductor ecosystem and #skill development. Both sides expressed confidence in expandin
President of Singapore Tharman Shanmugaratnam will be on a five-day visit to India beginning Tuesday with an aim to give new momentum to the ties between the two countries. It will be Shanmugaratnam's first visit to India as Singapore president. Shanmugaratnam will hold discussions with President Droupadi Murmu, who will also host a banquet in his honour, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in statement, announcing the visit. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will meet with the Singaporean president. "The President of the Republic of Singapore Tharman Shanmugaratnam will pay a State visit to India from January 14-18. He will be accompanied by a high-level delegation, including ministers, members of parliament and officials," the MEA said. Shanmugaratnam will be accorded a ceremonial welcome at the forecourt of Rashtrapati Bhavan on January 16. He will also visit Odisha from January 17-18. "India and Singapore have extensive cooperation based on a long tradition of friendship,
On the second leg of his two-state visit, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar who landed in Singapore on Friday met with Singapore's Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong and discussed with him ways to take forward contemporary bilateral partnership, with a focus on areas like industrial parks, innovation and semiconductors.Sharing the details on the social media platform X, Jaishankar wrote, "Started my visit to Singapore by meeting DPM & Minister for Trade and Industry Gan Kim Yong".He shared that the two leaders, "Discussed taking forward contemporary partnership, with a focus on industrial parks, green energy, skilling, innovation and semiconductors".Jaishankar is also set will also address the 8th Roundtable of ASEAN - India Network of Think Tanks.The Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) comprises Indonesia, Singapore, Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam.India has a strengthened and multi-faceted relationship with ASEAN ...
The fusion of Hindi -- spoken by 57.2 crore people in India and another 50 crore globally -- with cutting-edge technology opens a realm of possibilities for businesses, allowing them to tap into vast, previously inaccessible, markets, a top Singapore business leader has said. Neil Parekh, chairman of the Singapore Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said, "As we transcend the world of digitalisation, where boundaries between cultures and markets are increasingly blurred, language has emerged as a crucial bridge connecting people, ideas and opportunities." Speaking at the Global Hindi Excellence Summit - 2024, held over the weekend, he underscored the growing importance of Hindi for working in the fast-paced development of the Indian economy. He called the summit a platform with immense significance in promoting the richness of the language and culture on a global stage. The theme for the summit -- "Hindi Excellence in this Era of Innovation" -- reflects how language and ...
India's growing role in the global economy presents Singapore with opportunities for collaboration across economic, technological and geopolitical spheres, Singapore Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry chairman Neil Parekh has said. The Indian-origin business leader's comments came as Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong announced the elevation of the India-Singapore strategic partnership to comprehensive strategic partnership on Thursday. Parekh was speaking at the inaugural "Singapore India Forum The Next Phase" which was attended by some 350 members of the Singapore business community. By strengthening its relationship with India, Singapore can further solidify its position as a pivotal player in the evolving global landscape, given that the two countries have a long-standing partnership that has deepened over the years, Parekh said. "This strong relationship between both governments has fostered continuous engagement at multiple levels, between government entities and ..
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday touted Singapore as a model for developing nations and said India wanted to create "several Singapores" of its own. During his talks with Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, Modi expressed confidence in the city-state's fourth generation leadership. He said Singapore is not merely a partner country, it serves as an inspiration for every developing nation. We also aim to create several Singapores within India. I am pleased that we are collaborating towards this goal. The ministerial roundtable we have established is a path-breaking mechanism, the prime minister said. Congratulating the prosperous nation's premier, Modi said, This is our first meeting since you assumed the office as prime minister. My heartiest congratulations and best wishes to you. I am confident that under the leadership of 4G, Singapore will achieve progress even more rapidly. Wong was sworn in as the new prime minister of Singapore in May. The 51-year-old ...