Relax - Travellers from China are big spenders at airport

Relax

News

Article

TRAVELLERS from China are spending big bucks at Changi Airport - making them the top spenders, along with Singaporeans, last year.

Changi Airport Group revealed yesterday that Chinese nationals contributed to 20 per cent of sales at the airport's retail and food outlets last year, a 40 per cent increase compared to 2010. Singaporeans also accounted for 20 per cent of sales last year, a 15 per cent rise from 2010.

Ms Ivy Wong, Changi Airport's senior vice- president of airside concession, said Chinese nationals are "a very affluent group of people".

She added: "Shopping to them, as compared to other nationalities, is a key priority...They are very willing to open their wallets and spend when they travel overseas."

In the light of this, Ms Wong said the airport will be rolling out programmes to tap on the spending behaviour of Chinese nationals. She declined to reveal details, adding that more will be shared at a later stage.

Tourists from China have proven to be a boost to tourism here, as evident from last week's tourist-arrival figures. They registered the greatest jump in arrivals among the top 15 territories that visitors to Singapore hail from.

The number of visitor arrivals from China reached almost 1.6 million last year, a 35 per cent increase compared to about 1.2 million in 2010, according to preliminary data released by the Singapore Tourism Board last Tuesday.

Indonesia was the No. 1 territory from which tourists to Singapore last year came from, followed by China.

Changi Airport's latest retail figures were announced on the sidelines of the Be A Changi Millionaire lucky draw held at the airport where Australian engineer Jessica Down, 26, walked away with $1 million.

Speaking to the media after her win, Ms Down said excitedly: "It was unbelievable. You don't think this could happen to you. And then it did...I'm speechless."

Ms Down was in town for a business trip in September last year when she spent about $200 on a perfume and cosmetics at the airport that qualified her for the draw.

For more my paper stories click here.

Travellers from China are big spenders at airport

By Gwendolyn Ng , my paper | Mon, Feb 13 2012

Chinese nationals contributed to 20 per cent of sales at the airport's retail and food outlets last year

Travellers from China are big spenders at airport

Keywords