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Singapore experienced another year of consistent growth in 2025, with India continuing to be one of its largest sources of tourists. Last year, over 1.2 million Indians visited Singapore, marking a small increase of about 1% compared to 2024. This increase contributed to the total of 16.9 million international visitors to the city-state, showing that there is ongoing global interest in Singapore as a nearby vacation spot and event location. For the first nine months of 2025, tourism income continued to rise. Singapore achieved S$23.9 billion in international tourism earnings during this time, which is the highest amount recorded for these three months and a 6.5% increase from 2024. Indian tourists contributed S$1.17 billion, representing a 5% year-over-year growth. The year 2025 celebrated 60 years of diplomatic ties between India and Singapore, enhancing cooperation in tourism and business travel. A major feature was the 'Just Between Us Friends' campaign by the Singapore Tourism Board, which started in January 2025. This campaign brought together airlines, travel agents, payment providers, and shopping spots to offer unique discounts for Indian tourists.

This campaign also reached the MICE sector, providing exclusive benefits for Indian incentive groups visiting from August 2025 to March 2026. Sun Pharma brought over 6,000 staff members to Singapore in 2025, making it the largest corporate incentive event from India to date. In a move to simplify travel for Indians, Singapore allowed UPI payments at more than 130,000 businesses, including duty-free shops at Changi Airport. This initiative followed a collaboration between STB and NPCI International, allowing Indian visitors to use familiar and easy payment methods. In July 2025, the Singapore Tourism Board signed its first Memorandum of Understanding with an Indian airline, IndiGo. The one-year partnership is designed to enhance travel connections from smaller cities in India and promote Singapore’s diverse travel options.

For flights directly departing from India, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Vietnam, Singapore Airlines allows passengers to get a complete ticket refund, waiving the cancellation fee if their visa application gets denied. Proper documentation is needed, and the refund approval is at the airline’s discretion. Such policies offer travelers from these countries more financial confidence and flexibility, encouraging them to think about visiting Singapore without the fear of losing money before their trip even starts. The Singapore e-Visa system makes the travel process easier for Indian citizens by providing a fully online application process with approvals typically granted within 3-5 working days. The online system eliminates the need for physical documents, making it quicker and more convenient for travelers. Tourists applying for a Singapore Tourist Visa can stay for up to 30 days, with the visa valid for two months. Business travelers also have a maximum stay of 30 days on their Singapore Business Visa during its validity.

Singapore kept enhancing its role as a key destination for cruises, inviting new ships to operate there, such as Star Voyager, Ovation of the Seas, and Luminara from The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection. The hotel industry also experienced significant new openings, such as Raffles Sentosa Singapore, Mandai Rainforest Resort by Banyan Tree, The Laurus at Resorts World Sentosa, Mett Singapore, and Mama Shelter, which marked the brand’s first location in Asia.