Singapore in your bucket list this summer? Here's what you must know

Singapore is setting its sights on surpassing pre-Covid levels of tourist arrivals from India this year. "We're focusing on the family, MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferencing, Exhibitions), and film tourism segments in the hope of crossing the pre-Covid level of tourist arrivals from India," a top official of the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) said on Monday.

Preferences of Indian travellers

According to Rajesh Magow, co-founder and Group CEO of MakeMyTrip, Singapore is the top short-haul international destination for Indian tourists, alongside the UAE, Thailand, Indonesia, and Malaysia.

Connectivity

Seventeen Indian cities are connected with Singapore via 286 weekly departures on seven airlines, including Singapore Airlines, Scoot, Vistara, Indigo, Air India, Air India Express and Drukair.

 

If the 'Garden City' is on your bucket list this summer, here's what you must know:

Visa mandatory for Indians

Travellers from India need a visa to enter Singapore. Applications should be submitted 30 days before travel, with a completed Form 14A, a recent passport-sized photograph, a photocopy of the passport biodata page, and, for business visits, a completed Form V39A.

Singapore visa fee

The visa processing fee is Rs 1,800, with an additional service charge of Rs 650 by authorised agents.

Processing time and fraud prevention

Visa processing typically takes three to five working days, though some applications may take longer. Travellers are urged to apply through authorised agents to avoid fraud.

Steps to check the status of your visa application

If you have submitted your visa application to an authorised visa agent and obtained your application reference number, you can check the status of your application and print a copy of the e-Visa by following the below steps:

Step 1: Go to the Singapore Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) website at www.ica.gov.sg

Step 2: At the ICA homepage, scroll down to the section <e-Services and Forms> and click on <Apply Entry Visa (Time needed: 15-20mins)>

Step 3: Scroll down and click on <Enquiry Application Status>.

Step 4: Key in your <Visa Reference Number (MUBXXXXXXSAXXXXXXX)> and <Applicant's Travel Document Number (XXXXXXXX)>.

Step 5: If your application has been approved, click on <Print e-visa> to get a copy of your e-Visa.

If you have already been issued with a valid visa but have misplaced the copy of your e-Visa, you can also follow the above steps to print a copy of your e-Visa. Alternatively, you can contact the Authorised Visa Agent through whom you had applied for your visa for assistance.

Tourism statistics

In 2023, Singapore welcomed 1.07 million Indian visitors, achieving 76% of the pre-Covid visitor numbers. The first quarter of 2024 saw 245,380 Indian tourists, which is 81.8% of the pre-Covid figures.

"It's not difficult to achieve pre-Covid levels of tourist arrivals from India this year with an increase in the number of Indian passports, the rise of the middle class, and strong connectivity between both countries," Markus Tan, STB's regional director for India, the Middle East, South Asia, and Africa told news agency PTI. He further noted the potential in the young adult and cruise passenger segments, revealing ongoing discussions with Disney Adventure ship to develop a cruise product homeported from Singapore from 2025.

Strategic importance of India

For Singapore, India ranks as the fifth largest source market for tourists, trailing behind Indonesia (2.298 million visitors), China (1.363 million visitors), Malaysia (1.088 million visitors) and Australia (1.085 million visitors).

With PTI inputs