Visa, the world leader in digital payments, revealed new data fans and visitors travelling further to the rest of Asia Pacific following the Formula 1TM Singapore Grand Prix race weekend.
Singapore the start line for post-race travel
Analysing VisaNet data, Visa found that travellers explored further into Asia Pacific:
- About 20 per cent [2] made post-race travel plans after the Singapore Grand Prix. On average, travellers spent an average of 3.5 more days [3] on the move after the Singapore Grand Prix concluded.
- Post-race travel is especially prominent for long-haul travellers from outside of Asia. Visa data showed that about 35 per cent [4] of them visited at least one other country after the race week, higher than the average.
- Top destinations included neighbouring countries Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand which are short flights away from Singapore, while Australia and Japan were also popular.
- Travellers spent about 40 per cent [5] more per person than they typically do at home, with biggest spenders hailing from the United States, Australia, Mainland China, Germany, and France. [6]
- Restaurants and eateries top of travellers’ spending in Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand, while spending on retail was higher in Australia and Japan.
Affluent travellers an engine of post-race tourism and spending
Beyond the overall lift to travel, Visa’s global and always-on network also offers more in-depth insights on the profile of travellers, notably affluent travellers.
- About 25 per cent [7] of affluent cardholders make further travel plans after the Formula 1TM weekend, higher than the 20 per cent average for all cardholders.
- Their preferred destinations also included long-haul trips to Europe and North America.
- Affluent travellers also spent about 20 per cent [8] more per person than other travellers on their post-race journeys, contributing to the surge in travel spending.
- Compared to other travellers, they spent about 65 per cent more in department stores and around 50 per cent more on apparel and on their post-race itineraries. [9]
Travellers embracing contactless payments
Singapore’s established digital and contactless payment infrastructure is a natural hotbed for contactless card payments, but Visa data found that the use and preference for contactless payments persisted no matter where travellers went after the Singapore Grand Prix:
- About 85 per cent [10] of all face-to-face transactions made via contactless card payments by travellers who visited another country after the race.
- Travellers from markets like Australia and the United Kingdom saw near-universal usage, with contactless payments at about 95 per cent [11] of all face-to-face transactions.
- However, use of contactless payments by travellers from regions including Japan, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam where contactless acceptance is still developing, exceeded 80 per cent. [12]
Visa’s findings highlight a continuing and growing preference for frictionless and secure payment experiences, especially in travel. Contactless payments let travellers consume, pay, and move seamlessly and safely regardless of where they go, matched by growing contactless payment acceptance in Asia Pacific and around the world – be it by restaurants, supermarkets, or even by open-loop transit systems that allow commuters to pay for bus and rail rides at a tap of their cards or smartphones.
Prateek Sanghi, Head of Visa Consulting and Analytics, Asia Pacific, said: “Major events do not only drive tourism but also create positive spillover effects in neighbouring cities and regions. Travellers from all segments have rapidly evolving preferences, with high-profile sports events becoming both a fixture and catalyst in their travel plans. Visa’s global network and advanced data capabilities, including AI, allow businesses to understand the changing shape of travel and tailor strategies to critical segments such as affluent travellers, so that they can cast their nets wider and win the lion’s share of tourism today and tomorrow.”
Visa Consulting and Analytics (VCA) harnesses Visa’s payments data, consulting services, in-house data science capabilities and latest tools, such as Agentic AI, to empower enable organisations with key insights to help them enhance visitor experiences, optimise business strategies, and drive economic growth across the travel and commerce ecosystem.
[1] Identified as the proportion of international visitors who made at least one in-person transaction in Singapore during the event week and then made at least one in-person transaction in another country afterward.
[2] Identified as the proportion of international visitors who made at least one in-person transaction in Singapore during the event week and then made at least one in-person transaction in another country afterward.
[3] Calculated by taking the average duration between the first cross-border transaction and the last cross-border transaction of post-race travellers that is not in Singapore. Post-race travellers whose first and last transaction is on the same day is filtered out.
[4] Based on the proportion of visitors who travelled to another country post-event, broken down by flight haul.
[5] Based on the proportion of visitors who travelled to another country post-event, broken down by flight haul.
[6] Calculated by proportion of total cross border spend that is not Singapore in the post-race week.
[7] Calculated as the proportion of affluent or mass visitors who travelled to another country post-event.
[8] Calculated by the percentage uplift in post-event cross-border spending per card for affluent post-race travellers compared to mass post-race travellers.
[9] Calculated by the percentage uplift in post-event cross-border spending per card for affluent post-race travellers compared to mass post-race travellers within the specified merchant categories.
[10] Calculated as the proportion of contactless transactions out of all in-person transactions made by post-race travellers in their onward-travel destinations that is not Singapore.
[11] Calculated as the proportion of contactless transactions out of all in-person transactions made by post-race travellers in the specified onward-travel country.
[12] Calculated as the proportion of contactless transactions out of all in-person transactions made by post-race travellers in the specified onward-travel country.
Source: Visa Worldwide Pte. Limited