Singapore received 19.1 million foreign visitors as of 2019, which is more than three times the nation's entire population. It also promotes natural and heritage conservation activities and makes environmental friendliness claims. Additionally, it has one of the lowest rates of crime in the entire globe. Since English is the most widely spoken of its four official languages, it is typically simpler for visitors to comprehend locals while conversing with them, for example, when shopping. Singapore's comprehensive coverage of the majority, if not all, public spaces makes traveling there more convenient for tourists. This includes the well-known MRT system for mass transit. The second city in Asia-Pacific and the fifth most visited city overall is Singapore.

Singapore is placed 13th overall out of 136 nations in the Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report 2017, making it the third-best country in Asia just after Japan (ranked 4th) and Hong Kong (ranked 11th). The survey places Singapore first in the world for its corporate climate, global openness, travel and tourist policy, and enabling conditions. However, the island country's score in the sub-index for natural and cultural resources was fairly low (40th).

The Singapore Tourism Board, formerly known as the Singapore Tourist Promotion Board, was established in January 1964 with the goals of developing and regulating the travel and tourism sector in Singapore, a British colony at the time. Through the growth of the tourism sector, the government of Singapore wanted to increase employment, income, and enable trade inside Singapore. The tourism board released monthly newsletters to advertise various Singapore attractions throughout the 1960s and 1970s in an effort to attract tourists from various nations.In 1964, the Singapore Tourism Board adopted the Merlion as its logo and utilized it in marketing materials. [11] A Merlion statue was built in Merlion Park in 1972 as the Merlion eventually came to be regarded as a national symbol of Singapore.In contrast to the 522,000 visitors and S$269 million in tourism receipts in 1976, there were 1.5 million visitors in 1977, bringing in an estimated S$628 million in tourism-related spending in 1970. While Resorts World Sentosa opened on December 7, 2012, and Gardens by the Bay debuted on June 29, 2012 respectively.

Since the nation's independence in 1965, Singapore has seen an increase in the number of visitors. According to preliminary data from the Singapore Tourism Board, Singapore welcomed over 19.1 million visitors in 2019 with revenues totaling S$27.7 billion, up from the total of 99,000 visitors noted in 1965.The overall number of visitors rose 3.3% over the previous year, with increases in arrivals from China, Indonesia, and Australia, while declines in India and Malaysian visitors were 2% and 3%, respectively.Tourism receipts grew 2.8% from 2018, with the majority of visitors spending the most on retail ($1.457 million), lodging ($1.439 million), food and beverage ($649 million), sightseeing, entertainment, and gaming ($1,593 million), and accommodations ($1.439 million). Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Singapore's tourist statistics decreased by 85.7% in 2020 and its tourism revenue decreased by 82.6% (S$4.8 million) from 2019. That year had a total of 2,700,000 visitors, marking the first decline in visitor numbers since the drop in arrivals in 2014. From March 23, 2020, to October 19, 2021, short-term visitors were also not allowed to transit through or enter Singapore.

Arrivals of tourists fell even further in 2021, to 330,059; this was an 88% drop from 2020. Many nations still imposed travel restrictions because to the proliferation of COVID-19 variations, and other governments outright forbade travel to stop transmission. Short-term travel into Singapore was only allowed to resume in September 2021 with the launch of travel lanes with vaccinations.

Frequently visited tourist destinations

The Orchard Road neighborhood, which is dominated by hotels and multi-story shopping malls, might be regarded as Singapore's tourism hub. Other well-liked tourist destinations include the Singapore Zoo, Bird Paradise, River Wonders, and Night Safari (which lets visitors see the nighttime habitats of exotic animals in Asia, Africa, and America). The River Wonders features 300 species of animals, many of which are endangered, and features 10 different ecosystems from around the world, including the River Nile, Yangtze River, Mississippi, Amazon, and Tundra. The Singapore Zoo has embraced the "open zoo" concept, in which animals are kept in enclosures, separated from visitors by hidden dry or wet moats.In Bird Paradise, Another bird-focused zoological garden is intended to exposing visitors to as many different types and variations of birds as is humanly possible, including a herd of 1,000 flamingos.

Located south of Singapore, the tourist island of Sentosa is home to roughly 20–30 famous sites, including Fort Siloso, which was constructed as a fortification to stave off the Japanese during World War II and received 19 million visitors in 2011. At Fort Siloso, you may observe guns from the World War II era, ranging in size from a miniature to a 16 pound (7 kg) rifle. The Sentosa Luge, a small one- or two-person sleigh on which one sleighs supine and feet-first, as well as the Tiger Sky Tower, which allows guests to overlook the entirety of Sentosa, were also created on the island. By changing your weight or pulling on straps fastened to the sled's runners, you may steer.

one of the newest tourist attractions constructed in Singapore is home to a Universal Studios theme park, Gardens by the Bay, two integrated resorts with casinos, Marina Bay Sands and Resorts World Sentosa.

Cultural and historical landmarks

Singapore, a former British colony, is home to many historical and cultural sites with British and regional architectural influences. The Masjid Sultan, one of Singapore's most significant mosques, is one of these historical sites. It was finished in 1826. The Sri Mariamman Temple, Singapore's oldest Hindu temple, was established in 1827, making it older than the Thian Hock Keng Temple, one of the country's oldest Chinese temples, which was finished in 1839.[35] The Kranji War Memorial, Civilian War Memorial, Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall, Yueh Hai Ching Temple, Lian Shan Shuang Lin Monastery, and Istana Kampong Glam are some further historical sites. Four significant museums in Singapore showcase the culture and history of the nation and the area. The diverse ethnic groups of Singapore can trace their ancestry to China, Southeast Asia, South Asia, and West Asia. The Peranakan Museum, the first of its kind in the world, investigates Peranakan cultures in Singapore and other former Straits Settlements in Malacca and Penang, as well as other Peranakan communities in Southeast Asia. Four significant museums in Singapore showcase the culture and history of the nation and the area. The diverse ethnic groups of Singapore can trace their ancestry to China, Southeast Asia, South Asia, and West Asia. The Peranakan Museum, the first of its kind in the world, investigates Peranakan cultures in Singapore and other former Straits Settlements in Malacca and Penang, as well as other Peranakan communities in Southeast Asia. The Singapore Art Museum is a contemporary art museum that focuses on art practices in Singapore, Southeast Asia, and Asia. Singapore's National Museum of Singapore, the oldest museum in the nation with a history dating back to 1849, primarily showcases collections of nation-building and the history of Singapore from the 14th century in a story-telling approach. Other smaller museums include the Changi Museum, which exhibits artwork, photographs, and personal items donated by former POWs (Prisoners of War) during the Japanese Occupation of Singapore, and the Mint Museum of Toys, which houses a collection of 3,000 toys and childhood artifacts from the mid-19th century to the mid-20th century.

Nature sight-seeing

Singapore has many parks and projects, many of which highlight the country's native tropical setting.

The Singapore Zoo, Night Safari, Bird Paradise, and River Wonders are the four zoos in Singapore. The Singapore Zoo exhibits its animals in 'open' realistic, roomy, landscaped enclosures that are divided from the public by disguised fences, moats, and glass. Throughout the day, several shows and events are held to allow people to interact with the animals. The first nocturnal zoo in the world, Night Safari is only open at night and is located in a humid tropical forest. It is separated into seven geographical zones that can be explored on foot via four walking trails or by tram. A flock of 1,000 flamingos and other large specimens of exotic bird species from throughout the world can be found at Bird Paradise. The bird park is the largest of its kind in Asia and the greatest in the entire world in terms of bird population.The backdrop of River Wonders is a tropical rainforest, and it includes 5000 animals from 300 different species in 10 different habitats from across the world. Kai Kai and Jia Jia, a male and female pair of giant pandas kept in a specially built climate-controlled enclosure that changes over the four seasons to mimic their natural environment, are among the primary attractions at the River Wonders.

Singapore's Singapore Botanic Gardens and Gardens by the Bay are the most visited gardens and parks in the nation by tourists. The National Orchid collection, which has more than 3000 different orchid species growing there, is one of the Singapore Botanical Gardens' primary attractions. The 52-hectare tropical park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Gardens by the Bay are a collection of sizable, tropical leaf-shaped gardens, each with a distinctive landscaping style, personality, and subject. Its two conservatories, the Flower Dome, which mimics a mild, dry climate and displays plants from the Mediterranean and other semi-arid tropical regions, and the Cloud Forest, which mimics the cool, moist conditions in tropical mountain regions between 1,000 meters (3,300 feet) and 3,000 meters (9,800 feet) above sea level, are its main draws. These regions can be found in South-East Asia, the Middle East, and South America.The Supertree Grove, which has tree-like constructions known as Supertrees that dominate the Gardens' terrain, is one of the other key attractions. They are vertical gardens that serve a variety of purposes, including as planting, providing shade, and acting as the gardens' environmental engines. Additionally, Singapore is home to two ASEAN Heritage Parks: the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve, which is renowned for its wide array of bird species, crabs, mudskippers, and flora and fauna, and the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, a vast nature reserve that occupies much of the Bukit Timah Hill and is the last remaining location on the island where primary rainforest still exists One of Singapore's few remaining rural areas, Pulau Ubin is an outlying island in the north-eastern island group. It is home to many natural flora and animals, as well as the last remaining undeveloped kampongs (villages), wooden jetties, abandoned quarries, and plantations. The island is a component of the Ubin-Khatib Important Bird Area (IBA), which was designated as such by BirdLife International because to the large number of migratory and resident birds, some of which are vulnerable, that are supported there. Chek Jawa, a former coral reef from 5000 years ago where many ecosystems may be seen in one place, is one of the more well-known locations on the island. ..