Holiday Ayo - As many as 2.3 million tourists from Indonesia will visit Singapore throughout 2023. This number is much higher than tourists from China which reached 1.4 million people and tourists from Malaysia which reached 1.1 million people.

“2.3 million Indonesian tourists visiting Singapore in 2023 is the highest number of tourists compared to tourists from other countries. So the largest number last year were from Indonesia," said Hafez Marican, Area Director of the Singapore Tourism Board at a hotel in Central Jakarta as reported by from tribunnews.com. 

Hafez also revealed that of the 2.3 million Indonesian tourists who traveled to the Lion Country, most of them came from three areas, namely Jakarta, Surabaya and the Riau Islands, which are quite close to Singapore.

“Many tourists from Indonesia attend various events in Singapore, such as the recent Taylor Swift concert which was watched by many Indonesians. We see that Singapore remains an attractive tourist and business destination for Indonesians," said the Executive Director of the Singapore Tourism Board South East Asia, Terrence Voon. 

“Indonesia is a main and important market for Singapore and we will continue to foster and strengthen partnerships with industry stakeholders to encourage tourism growth," he added. 

Overall, the number of tourists visiting Singapore in 2023 will reach 74 percent of the total number of tourists in 2023. 

2019 as the highest figure in Singapore's tourism history. Hafez said that this year the Singapore Tourism Board targets to attract more tourists from abroad to come to Singapore. 

To attract more attention from tourists, STB launched its newest global marketing campaign entitled "Made in Singapore". 

“This latest campaign is to attract the attention of tourists and inspire them to choose Singapore as their next tourist destination, with a focus on how Singapore turns everyday moments into extraordinary experiences for tourists," said Indriati Permanasari, Manager of STB's Indonesia Area Group.

Indriati said that with the "Made in Singapore" campaign, STB wants to present unique experiences that only exist in Singapore to tourists. 

So far, there have been a number of tourist destinations in Singapore that have become world famous and are close to the Indonesian people, starting from Jewel Changi which is the highest indoor waterfall in the world. 

Then there are Marina Bay Sands, Garden by The Bay, Universal Studio Singapore, Genting Dream Destination Cruises, Trifecta, SEA Oceanarium, Bird Paradise, and other destinations. 

In the future, said Indriati, there will be a number of new tourist destinations and rides as well as ongoing events for tourists from various countries. 

Among them is Harry Potter: A Forbidden Forest Experience on Sentosa Island. This ride aimed at Harry Potter fans just opened in February 2024.