Singapore Targets Travellers Aged 25 to 39 With We Don't Wait for Fun Campaign in Nine Markets

A Younger Audience at the Centre of Singapore's Tourism Push

Singapore is targeting travellers aged 25 to 39 with its We Don't Wait for Fun campaign, taking the promotion to nine markets as the city seeks to turn strong visitor numbers into lasting demand. The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) is putting neighbourhood discoveries, creative activities and local culture at the centre of its appeal to young professionals.

The campaign covers China, Indonesia, India, Japan, Malaysia, South Korea, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam. Alongside Singapore's familiar attractions, it highlights places such as New Bahru, a creative lifestyle hub in a converted heritage school building, and Joo Chiat, a district known for its Peranakan heritage and local character.

STB chief executive Melissa Ow pointed to the size of the audience already visiting Singapore. Travellers in the two age groups of 25 to 34 and 35 to 44 together represented more than 40 per cent of international arrivals in 2025, or approximately seven million of the year's 16.9 million visitors. Those statistical groups cover a wider age range than the campaign's target of 25 to 39.

Ow described the board's aim as turning interest among these travellers into a decision to visit Singapore:

We're focused on deepening our appeal within this market and converting more of these travellers to choosing Singapore as their preferred destination,

The campaign combines digital advertising with content from key opinion leaders and content creators. Branded entertainment partnerships are another central element, building on previous collaborations with global pop star Lady Gaga and Chinese singer and dancer Xin Liu. STB is also working with Skyscanner, Grab and Spotify to reach people early in their careers through platforms they already use.

Why Young Professionals Are a Long Term Investment

Benjamin Cassim, senior lecturer for lifestyle and consumer experience at Temasek Polytechnic's School of Business, said this audience offers more than immediate spending power. These travellers are likely to retain the financial and physical ability to travel for another 20 to 30 years, making today's visits a potential starting point for decades of repeat trips.

Cassim explained why building a relationship with this generation now could benefit Singapore over time:

This makes it timely and strategic to capture their attention now, and to build positive brand equity and loyalty by curating meaningful, experience-led engagements over the course of the current decade,

Associate Professor Lau Kong Cheen, who heads the marketing programme at the Singapore University of Social Sciences, said novelty is a major attraction for this age group. A holiday can appeal because it brings unfamiliar food, a different cultural setting or a place with a distinctive history.

Lau connected those preferences directly to Singapore's neighbourhoods:

This makes cultural, gastronomical and historical experiences attractive to them,

This is why districts like Joo Chiat, with their local and unique charms, fit well into the factors that excite this segment.

STB's wider audience strategy identifies five categories of travellers with strong spending potential: Active Silvers, Early Careers, Established Careers, Families with Young Kids, and Business Travellers. Its analysis also identifies 10 distinct traveller portraits globally, based on interests, motivations and behaviour. These portraits help the board decide which experiences to promote and where to deliver the content.

Bookshops, Chocolate Workshops and Neighbourhood Discoveries

New Bahru and Joo Chiat are part of a broader effort to show visitors experiences beyond familiar landmarks such as Marina Bay Sands and Gardens by the Bay. A complementary campaign with Traveloka, Southeast Asia's leading travel platform, began in December 2025 under the title A World of Experiences Await.

The Traveloka partnership highlights places including Littered with Books, an independent bookstore in a conservation shophouse. Its curated selection ranges from science fiction to nonfiction. Née Vintage offers secondhand luxury goods in excellent condition, giving visitors another reason to explore local shops.

Creative workshops turn some of these visits into activities. The Make Pleat Bag Experience by Ginlee introduces participants to pleating and circularity, a way of thinking about keeping materials and products in use. At Mr Bucket Chocolaterie on Dempsey Hill, visitors can make their own chocolate bars while learning about the process of turning cocoa beans into chocolate.

Kayaking at Punggol Waterway adds an active option in Singapore's residential northeast, where visitors can see nature alongside urban life. Singapore's compact size and efficient public transport allow travellers to combine cultural landmarks with neighbourhood discoveries without spending long periods travelling between them.

Terrence Voon, STB's executive director of Southeast Asia, described Traveloka as a valuable partner in showing different sides of the city. He said the collaboration was intended to encourage more personal exploration:

We look forward to continuing this strong collaboration to showcase a more intimate, inspiring perspective of the city, one that encourages visitors to explore Singapore in new and unexpected ways,

China's Strategy Extends Beyond Its Biggest Cities

China is a major part of the campaign, with partnerships involving Sentosa Development Corporation, Changi Airport and Mandai Wildlife Reserve. Joint promotions with online travel agents Fliggy and Tuniu aim to turn interest into direct bookings.

STB is also working with airlines based in China to reach more travellers in tier two cities, meaning cities beyond the country's largest metropolitan centres. The effort includes new flight connections to Lhasa, Quanzhou and Zhangjiajie, extending the pool of people who can consider a trip to Singapore.

Chinese mainland visitors numbered 3.08 million in 2024, according to STB data. That was an increase of 126 per cent from the previous year and accounted for 18.7 per cent of Singapore's international arrivals. China remained Singapore's largest source market in 2025, with 3.1 million arrivals.

A joint whitepaper with Ctrip Group showed particularly strong growth among younger Chinese visitors compared with 2019. Visitors born in the 1990s increased by 136 per cent, while growth among those born in the 2000s exceeded 200 per cent. Andrew Phua, STB's chief representative and executive director for Greater China, explained that the campaign encourages visitors to move beyond typical tourist experiences and make spontaneous discoveries.

India and Vietnam Get Different Routes to the Same Destination

India contributed 1.21 million visitors in 2025. Spending by Indian visitors reached S$1.17 billion during the first three quarters of the year. STB's work in the market included Just Between Us Friends, a campaign running throughout the year to mark the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations.

The India campaign involved airlines, travel agencies and retail businesses. In July 2025, STB also signed its first memorandum of understanding with an Indian airline, IndiGo, to improve connectivity from cities outside the country's main metropolitan centres. A memorandum of understanding records the areas in which organisations intend to cooperate.

Vietnam's approach uses music to put Singapore in front of potential travellers. STB partnered with Vietnamese singer Hoang Dung for his music video Cuoi Tuan (1825), translated as Weekend. The video features Singapore experiences ranging from famous attractions to less familiar places.

Serene Ng, STB's area director for Vietnam, said the artist's influence connects with the intended audience and presents Singapore in a fresh and unexpected way. The contrast between airline partnerships in India and a music video in Vietnam shows how the same tourism goal is being pursued through different routes in each market.

A Short Timeline of the Tourism Push

Singapore's campaign follows a series of partnerships, attraction openings and tourism gains during 2025. By February 5, 2026, the board was pairing those developments with a broader effort to attract younger travellers across Asia.

• July 2025: STB signed its first memorandum of understanding with an Indian airline, IndiGo, to boost connections from cities outside major metropolitan centres.
• During 2025: Rainforest Wild and Curiosity Cove launched at Mandai Wildlife Reserve, Jurassic World: The Experience opened at Gardens by the Bay's Cloud Forest, and Singapore Oceanarium reopened at Resorts World Sentosa.
• December 2025: STB and Traveloka launched A World of Experiences Await, promoting neighbourhood visits, shopping and creative activities.
• By February 5, 2026: The We Don't Wait for Fun campaign was targeting travellers aged 25 to 39 across nine markets.
• December 2026: Disney Adventure was scheduled to set sail from Singapore, establishing Disney Cruise Line's first Asian home port.

The sequence brings together two sides of the strategy: expanding what visitors can do in Singapore and making those experiences visible in the markets from which they travel.

Visitor Spending Gives the Campaign Momentum

Singapore recorded S$23.9 billion in tourism receipts during the first three quarters of 2025, a record for that period and an increase of 6.5 per cent from the same months in 2024. Tourism receipts measure visitor spending, making them a different measure from the number of people arriving.

The performance put Singapore on track to exceed STB's forecast of S$29 billion to S$30.5 billion for the full year. The S$23.9 billion figure covered the first nine months; the full year's spending total had not been given as of February 5, 2026.

International arrivals reached 16.9 million in 2025, up 2.3 per cent from 2024. China led with 3.1 million visitors, followed by Indonesia with 2.44 million, Malaysia with 1.28 million, Australia with 1.27 million and India with 1.21 million.

Spending on sightseeing, entertainment and gaming grew by 15 per cent, as did spending on food and beverages. Both categories grew faster than the 6.5 per cent increase in tourism receipts during the first three quarters, making activities and dining central parts of the year's spending gains.

New attractions broadened the reasons to visit. Rainforest Wild and Curiosity Cove opened at Mandai Wildlife Reserve, while Jurassic World: The Experience arrived at the Cloud Forest in Gardens by the Bay. Singapore Oceanarium reopened at Resorts World Sentosa with immersive marine exhibits. New dining concepts from established businesses, including The Lo & Behold Group and Jigger & Pony Group, added to the culinary choices.

Business Events Remain a Major Spending Target

Singapore's tourism strategy also gives a substantial role to MICE, which stands for meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions. This category includes business gatherings and company incentive trips, bringing visitors whose spending can extend beyond the event itself.

Singapore ranked third worldwide and first in Asia-Pacific according to the International Congress and Convention Association. Events including the Milken Institute Asia Summit and HealthTechX Asia 2025 contributed substantial spending by business travellers.

DBS Bank senior economist Chua Han Teng said the next stage of tourism growth should keep STB's Tourism 2040 road map in focus. That plan targets annual tourism receipts of S$47 billion to S$50 billion by 2040.

Chua identified business visitors as a valuable audience because of how much they spend:

A notable high-quality segment of target will be MICE visitors, who have deep wallets, spending twice as much as leisure travellers,

He also linked business events to economic activity beyond tourism:

Cultivating a vibrant MICE sector will generate positive spillovers into other economic sectors by continuing to foster international business connections.

STB is supporting local trade associations in developing the skills needed to bid for and host international conferences. Ow said the board's work also covers venues, technology and workforce development:

We also continue to build future MICE venue capacity, while driving productivity gains through technology adoption and skills upgrading,

What Singapore Has Planned for 2026

STB projects 17 million to 18 million international visitors in 2026 and tourism spending of S$31 billion to S$32.5 billion. The arrivals forecast sits above the 16.9 million recorded in 2025, while the spending target is also above the board's earlier forecast for that year.

Disney Adventure, featuring three exclusive new rides, is scheduled to set sail from Singapore in December 2026. Singapore will become Disney Cruise Line's first Asian home port, the base from which the ship begins its voyages.

BTS is set to bring its world tour to Singapore. The Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix will introduce a sprint race format, while Cirque du Soleil's Kooza will return for its only stop in Southeast Asia.

Phase two of Rainforest Wild at Mandai Wildlife Reserve and the opening of the new Science Centre are also part of the planned expansion. They join recently opened attractions such as Bird Paradise, where visitors can see endangered species and Asian songbirds, as well as immersive dining concepts. Together, the developments are intended to keep Singapore prominent among potential visitors throughout the year.

Families, Seniors and Food Lovers Stay in Focus

Families with children remain another growth audience, particularly for educational activities and experiences that several generations can enjoy together. Curiosity Cove, Exploria and Rainforest Wild at Mandai Wildlife Reserve, alongside the new Science Centre and Singapore Oceanarium, form part of that appeal.

Active Silvers, STB's category for retirees and seniors who value safety and convenience, are also being targeted. Cruises allow these travellers to visit several destinations with ease, and STB will work with cruise lines to promote a range of itineraries.

Singapore's cruise sector recorded 375 ship calls in 2025, an increase of 10 per cent. Passenger throughput exceeded two million, showing the scale of activity already supporting the city's cruise ambitions.

Lau said Singapore should continue promoting its hawker culture, which joined UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2020. For visitors, hawker food provides a way to encounter local food traditions alongside international restaurants and contemporary dining.

Lau described hawker culture as a foundation for that appeal:

This is an important anchor to demonstrate authenticity of Singapore's food heritage,

He said the breadth of Singapore's food scene gives it another reason to attract travellers:

The combination of heritage, international and contemporary cuisine will give our tourism sector another dimension of attraction for gastronomic tourism.

Singapore's youth campaign therefore sits within a wider plan. Neighbourhood discoveries and entertainment partnerships seek to attract young professionals, while family attractions, cruises, food experiences and business events address other groups with different reasons to travel.

Key Points

• We Don't Wait for Fun targets travellers aged 25 to 39 in China, Indonesia, India, Japan, Malaysia, South Korea, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam.
• The wider age groups of 25 to 34 and 35 to 44 accounted for more than 40 per cent of Singapore's 16.9 million arrivals in 2025, approximately seven million visitors.
• New Bahru, Joo Chiat and creative neighbourhood activities feature alongside familiar attractions.
• STB is using entertainment partnerships and platforms including Skyscanner, Grab, Spotify and Traveloka to reach potential visitors.
• Market strategies include airline and booking partnerships in China, cooperation with IndiGo in India, and a Hoang Dung music video in Vietnam.
• Tourism receipts reached S$23.9 billion in the first three quarters of 2025, up 6.5 per cent from the same period in 2024.
• STB forecasts 17 million to 18 million arrivals and S$31 billion to S$32.5 billion in tourism spending for 2026.
• The plans described as of February 5, 2026 include Disney Adventure's December departure, BTS concerts, a Formula 1 sprint race, Kooza and new attractions.
• Families, seniors and business visitors remain target audiences alongside young professionals.
• Tourism 2040 targets annual visitor spending of S$47 billion to S$50 billion by 2040.