21 Singapore Cruise Industry Statistics and Trends

Singapore is one of the hottest destinations for the global cruise industry, even though it isn’t on the radar of every tourist. In 2016, mover 1.2 million passengers were served by the Singapore cruise industry in some way. In just 6 years, the industry has been able to grow by more than 36%.

One of the reasons for this impressive growth is its location. To explore Southeast Asia, one must first come through Singapore when cruising. With its modern cities and ancient temples, there is plenty to see and do at this port of call.

In 2018, the joint ASEAN Declaration on Cruise Tourism was officially endorsed, allowing for even more development of cruise-related tourism in the country and region. For the 25 million cruise passengers that explore the world, Singapore is poised to become a top destination choice.

Important Singapore Cruise Industry Statistics

#1. In 2016, the Singapore cruise industry contributed $706 million to the local economy. That is a 36% from the revenues that were generated in 2010 by the industry. (Straits Times)

#2. Growth in the cruise industry for Singapore has averaged about 20% per year over the past decade. That is despite the fact that many of the ports need to have upgrades. (Straits Times)

#3. Cruise ships which wish to call Singapore a stop on their itinerary may accommodate up to 4,000 guests at any time. The cruise ships themselves are a minimum of 140,000 gross tons, both of which are difficult for Singapore’s current infrastructure to handle. (Straits Times)

#4. About 4.5 million passengers are expected to embrace the idea of cruising around Singapore and Southeast Asia by 2035. If achieved, that would mean the number of passengers that would need to be accommodated would be 10 times higher than they are today. (Straits Times)

#5. Cruise capacity has increased in all metrics since 2013. In Asia, the fleet of cruise ships which serve the region has grown by 53%. At the same time, the number of voyages and cruises within the region has grown by 25%. (Cruise Lines International Association)

#6. The number of operating days for cruise providers in Singapore and Southeast Asia has expanded by 137% between 2013 to 2017. (Cruise Lines International Association)

#7. In 2017, there were more than 7,000 cruise calls in Asia. That reflects a 29% increase in cruise call volume from the year before. (Cruise Lines International Association)

#8. Although the number of calls is increasing in the region, Singapore is falling behind in the number of total port calls received. Japan received over 800 calls, followed by China (306) and Thailand (218). Port call growth occurred in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and the Philippines as well, but not in Singapore. (Cruise Lines International Association)

#9. For international cruises which sail out of the Republic, Singaporeans comprise up to 60% of the passenger manifest. (Singapore Tourism Board)

#10. The cruise industry of Singapore has seen a 22% increased capacity in the ships that service local ports of call. By 2020, 35 new ships are expected to serve the region when compared to 2014 figures. (Singapore Tourism Board)

#11. Passenger throughput for the Singapore cruise industry is expected to outperform the forecast CAGR in the coming years. Passenger throughout is expected to rise by up to 8%, while the growth of the local industry is expected to be 4%. (Singapore Tourism Board)

#12. 94% of cruisers which sail in Asia provide routes that stay within the region. For long-distance cruises, the top destination from Singapore and Southeast Asia is Europe, accounting for 55% of these cruises. (Cruise Lines International Association)

#13. 18% of the long-haul cruises that originate from Singapore or Southeast Asia are destined for the Caribbean, the Western United States, or the U.S. state of Hawaii. (Cruise Lines International Association)

#14. Total passenger capacity within the region for cruises, both short-haul and long-haul, is 4.24 million passengers. With 66 ships deployed in total, almost 2,100 cruises were scheduled in 2017. That’s over 20% more than the year before. (Cruise Lines International Association)

#15. The top 5 sailing brands globally account for 64% of the total sailings which occur in Southeast Asia. They’re also responsible for 79% of the available passenger capacity and over half of the 2017 operating days. (Cruise Lines International Association)

#16. In 2017, there were 393 port calls planned for Singapore by the cruise industry, which places it third behind Shanghai (581) and Jeju Island, South Korea (477). (Cruise Lines International Association)

#17. 6 of the cruise lines operating within the region operate over 100 sailings per year. 10 lines offer between 20 to 999 sailings, while another 10 lines offer between 9-19 sailings each year. (Cruise Lines International Association)

#18. 2.1 million sailing passengers in Southeast Asia came from China in 2016. Singapore was the fourth-leading source market for passengers, with 196,900 counted. Taiwan (236,000) and Japan (215,000) took second and third respectively. (Cruise Lines International Association)

#19. Although there are 39 turnaround ports in Southeast Asia, Singapore ranks second and, with Shanghai, hosts the vast majority of them. In 2016, there were 329 turnarounds hosted. (Cruise Lines International Association)

#20. Overnight calls were hosted in 42 different ports in 2016 within Southeast Asia. Singapore offered the second-most overnight calls, with 40 total. Only Bangkok, Thailand achieved more, with 47 overnight calls. (Cruise Lines International Association)

#21. The Singapore cruise industry estimates that they hosted 748,000 passenger destination days in 2017, which would be an increase of 47,000 destination days from the year before. Although 0.5% growth was achieved, that is far less than the 15% growth achieved in 2014 in total calls. (Cruise Lines International Association)

Singapore Cruise Industry Trends and Analysis

The Singapore cruise industry should be invigorated by recent trends. With commitments to invest in local infrastructure, more tourism development within her boundaries, and some amazing, modern sites to visit that mingle with history, it is a unique destination that the cruise community is going to love.

At the same time, Singapore is also one of the top 5 source markets in the Asia-Pacific region, creating a hub of passenger traffic which supports the global cruise industry.

With excellent air connections that provide access to Canada, the States, and even Brazil, the cruise industry is poised to see high levels of growth within the next 10-year forecast. Although the overall performance may still be much lower than the results seen in Japan and China, it is clear to see that this industry is on the rise in Singapore.

That is trend which doesn’t show any signs of stopping.