More tourists expected for this year's Singapore Grand Prix

Workers set up barriers at Turn 1 of the Singapore GP race route. The upcoming Singapore Grand Prix is attracting a bumper crop of tourists this year, with overall bookings for the F1 period up till Sept 1 up by 12.6 per cent compared to the previous
Workers set up barriers at Turn 1 of the Singapore GP race route. The upcoming Singapore Grand Prix is attracting a bumper crop of tourists this year, with overall bookings for the F1 period up till Sept 1 up by 12.6 per cent compared to the previous year. -- ST FILE PHOTO:  MUGILAN RAJASEGERAN 

The upcoming Singapore Grand Prix is attracting a bumper crop of tourists this year. Overall bookings for the F1 period up till Sept 1 show a 12.6 per cent spike over the previous year, with a surge in last minute bookings expected. The first five races attracted nearly 200,000 visitors. This weekend's race is Singapore's sixth.

Data on the travel trends, based on flight reservations, were compiled by technology and travel firm Amadeus, and market research and consulting company Forward Data SL.

Race-goers are also arriving earlier for the Sept 20 to 22 event. While most of them are touching down on Sept 19 or 20, more people are arriving three days before the event. The biggest growth in visitor arrivals takes place on Sept 18, with an increase of 29 per cent over the same period last year.

The data also showed that Australians take the top spot as the event's biggest fans, accounting for 17 per cent of total bookings. With the night race coinciding with public holidays in Hong Kong and Korea, more tourists from these countries are flocking to Singapore for the long weekend. Bookings from Hong Kong rose 37 per cent compared to last year, while those from Seoul jumped by a staggering 241 per cent.

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