Despite a number of challenges, including the Zika outbreak in Singapore and the weak economic performance of some tourist source countries, Singapore recorded record highs in both foreign arrivals and tourism receipts last year.

The Singapore Tourism Board announced last year’s tourism data at a press conference a few days ago, showing that the number of inbound foreign tourists last year increased from 15.2 million in the previous year to 16.4 million, an increase of 7.7%.

Reasons include good growth in passenger arrivals from Tier 1 and Tier 2 cities in China, Indonesia and India; and the addition of direct flights to Singapore and Dusseldorf, Germany.

Higher spending by travelers on shopping, lodging and dining is the main reason for the growth in tourism revenue.