SINGAPORE, Aug. 18 (Xinhua) -- Singapore's tourism arrivals are expected to grow 0.5 percent year on year in 2026 to 17 million, down from the previous forecast of 4.5 percent as regional travel demand remains subdued amid the unresolved U.S.-Iran conflict, BMI Country Risk and Industry Research said on Monday.
"The revision reflects our assumption that the unresolved U.S.-Iran conflict will continue to weigh on travelers' willingness to route through the region," the research house said in a note.
Singapore recorded 1.63 million visitor arrivals in July, down 2.9 percent from a year earlier, according to Singapore Tourism Board data. BMI noted that this marked the fourth consecutive month of decline in arrival numbers.
For January-July, arrivals totaled 9.8 million, down 1.9 percent year on year and 11.7 percent below the corresponding 2019 level before the pandemic.
BMI also cut its average tourism arrivals growth forecast for 2026-2030 to 2.4 percent from 3.9 percent, pushing back expectations for a full recovery to pre-pandemic levels. ■
