SINGAPORE (AP) — Singapore said Friday it expects tourist arrivals to grow by as little as 2.3 percent this year as a slowing global economy limits travel.
Singapore will likely see between 13.5 million to 14.5 million visitors in 2012, the Singapore Tourism Board said in a statement. The number of tourist visitors grew 13 percent to a record 13.2 million last year.
Revenue from tourism will likely rise to between 23 billion Singapore dollars ($18.2 billion) and SG$24 billion this year after jumping 17 percent last year to SG$22.2 billion, the STB said.
Tourist arrivals, which were 9.7 million in 2009, have soared since the opening of the city-state's first two casino resorts in 2010.
Singapore's economy relies on manufacturing, finance and tourism. The government expects gross domestic product growth to slow this year to between 1 percent and 3 percent from 4.9 percent last year and 15 percent in 2010.
