STB, Vietnam Airlines team up to entice more Vietnamese tourists to Singapore
[HO CHI MINH CITY] The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) has formed a strategic partnership with Vietnam's national carrier Vietnam Airlines, and Sentosa Development Corporation to launch joint marketing and promotional efforts aimed at boosting travel demand from Vietnam to Singapore.
Their planned initiatives include hosted familiarisation trips, a feature on Singapore and Sentosa in Vietnam Airlines' inflight magazine Heritage, and participation in travel fairs.
In 2024, total international arrivals in Singapore hit 16.5 million, up 21 per cent year on year, and bringing in record high tourism receipts of S$29.8 billion. Of these arrivals, more than 393,000 were from Vietnam, making it one of the city-state's top 15 visitor source markets.
Last year, inbound visitors from South-east Asia was at 5.5 million, making up about a third of total arrivals in Singapore. Indonesia is the top source market in the region, sending nearly 2.5 million visitors to the city-state in 2024.
STB's 2025 forecast for international visitor arrivals remains below the pre-pandemic record of 19.1 million set in 2019. However, tourism receipts are expected to reach another record.
Vietnam Airlines now runs 21 weekly flights connecting the country's two largest metropolises – Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City – with Singapore.
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The Vietnamese flag-carrier served over 400,000 passengers on these routes in 2024, and 116,000 more in the first four months of this year.
The airline's executive vice-president Dang Anh Tuan said in a statement: 'The aim goes beyond boosting visitor numbers. It's about fostering cultural exchange, connecting communities, and advancing the sustainable growth of tourism between the two nations.'
In March, Singapore and Vietnam upgraded their bilateral relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership – the highest tier in Vietnam's diplomatic hierarchy and the first such tie-up between the city-state and an Asean member state.
Sentosa, one of Singapore's most popular leisure and tourist destinations, welcomed some 16 million visitors in 2023, which was at 84 per cent of the pre-pandemic annual average. Last year, Sentosa received 110,000 travellers from Vietnam.
The island is known for the Resorts World Sentosa integrated resort; Universal Studios Singapore, the only Universal theme park in South-east Asia; and the S.E.A. Aquarium, one of the world's largest aquariums.
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