Singapore tourist numbers climb

(Devashis Sarangi)

The number of tourists visiting Singapore rose in November at its fastest rate this year, the government said Monday.

The city-state welcomed 830,000 foreign visitors during the month, up 8.4 percent on the same period last year, the country's tourism board said in a statement.

Tourist numbers slumped in the first eight months of 2009 as people cut back on business and leisure travel due to the worldwide economic downturn, but started growing again in September.

Visitors from Indonesia, China, Malaysia, Australia and India accounted for over half of the arrivals in November, the board said.

Singapore is aiming for up to 9.5 million visitors this year, generating an expected 12.0-12.5 billion Singapore dollars (8.6-9.0 billion US) in revenue.

It received 10.1 million visitors last year, missing its target of 10.8 million as travel slowed in the second half due to the global slump.