Singapore  - The Singapore tourism industry hit some records in 2008 even though visitor numbers fell and tourism spending fell short of targets.

The city-state welcomed 10.1 million visitors last year, 1.6 per cent fewer than in 2007 and below the 10.8 million target set for 2008, media reports said Wednesday.

According to the Singapore Tourism Board, the decline in visitor arrivals reflected the impact of the global economic slowdown on consumer sentiment and discretionary spending.

However, tourism receipts in Singapore rose 4.8 per cent last year to a record 14.8 billion Singapore dollars (9.8 billion US dollars) although they fell short of the goal of
15.5 billion Singapore dollars.

Visitor days also set a new record, reaching 41.3 million days, up 8.7 per cent from 2007, the Business Times reported, citing data from the Tourism Board.

Singapore's hotel industry did well in 2008. According to preliminary figures, room revenue reached an all-time high of 2.1 billion Singapore dollars, up 12.1 per cent from the previous year.

Indonesia, China, Australia, India and Malaysia were the top five tourist markets for the city-state in 2008, accounting for about half the visitor arrivals, the report said. (dpa)