The number of tourists from China and Japan and the amount they spent saw double-digit growth during the first three quarters of 2012 compared to the same period in 2011, the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) said on Monday

Visitor arrivals from China grew by 23 per cent to 1.5 million in this period last year - an all-time high. This was led by an increase in visitors from secondary markets such as Hangzhou and Wuhan. In the first three quarters, tourism receipts from China also posted a growth of 18 per cent to a record $1.86 billion.

The number of visitors from Japan are increasing too. Arrivals climbed by 17 percent - with 554,000 visitors - for the third consecutive year of double-digit growth since the opening of the integrated resorts in 2010.

They spent $700 million, an increase of 20 per cent.

Hotels continued to do well last year.

Average hotel room rates and revenue per available room both went up by about four per cent, coming in at $257 and $222 respectively. The average occupancy rate for last year held steady at 86 per cent.

Tourists spent $23 billion last year, of which $5.2 billion was attributed to sightseeing and entertainment, a sector which includes gambling. This sector fell by four per cent year-on-year.