SINGAPORE - Tourists spent $6 billion here for the first quarter of this year, up five per cent compared to last year, according to figures released by the Singapore Tourism Board on Monday.

The growth was driven mainly by spending in sightseeing, entertainment and gaming.

Despite a 14 per cent drop in the number of visitor arrivals from China, international visitor arrivals remained steady at 3.9 million, because there were more tourists from places such as South Korea and Vietnam.

Arrivals from South Korea increased by 17 per cent while those from Vietnam increased by 13 per cent.

Hotel room revenue also showed significant growth of 12 per cent, to reach $0.8 billion.