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Singapore’s F1 race boosts tourism to other countries in Asia-Pacific
From $62,000 hotel suites to race packages with six-figure price tags, the Singapore Grand Prix is a windfall for businesses near the Marina Bay track.
But the money isn’t staying in Singapore. Data shows travelers are also spending across Asia before and after the three-day Formula One race, which begins Friday.
Flight bookings analyzed by marketing platform Sojern indicate that, among those with onward trips, a quarter of Americans and Canadians are adding trips to Japan, 18% of Europeans are also visiting Thailand, and nearly one-third of Australians are tacking on trips to Indonesia, overwhelmingly to Bali.
Other travelers are pairing this year’s event in Singapore with side trips to China, South Korea, India, the Maldives and Fiji, Sojern said.
Samer Elhajjar, a senior lecturer at the National University of Singapore, said that travel websites in other countries are bundling trips to Singapore’s night race with stops at popular island destinations in Southeast Asia.
“Visitors will come to Singapore, enjoy the F1, and then they move to Bali for two or three days,” he said. “That’s actually amazing for the economy of the region.”
CNBC Travel found travel packages to the 2025 Singapore Grand Prix coupled with trips to Langkawi and Borneo in Malaysia, and a cruise that combines the race with stops in Japan, Hong Kong and Vietnam.
Pitstop, not full stop
Sojern’s data comports with a Visa report published in May, which showed that other Formula One races in Asia-Pacific generated tourism revenue outside of host cities too.
Around 25% of foreigners who attended the 2025 Australian Grand Prix stayed around Melbourne’s suburbs after the race, while 10% remained in the city itself, according to Visa’s data. Yet some ventured to the Yarra Valley wine region, and 5% traveled to Sydney, some 500 miles away.
At April’s Japan Grand Prix in Suzuka, international attendees ventured even farther away, according to the report. Data showed around 10% went to Osaka, another 5% to Kyoto; however, the most popular destination to visit after the race was Okinawa (20%), more than 700 miles from the circuit.
Switching gears
The three-day Singapore Grand Prix has evolved into a week-long event for many, drawing global leaders and business travelers to trade forums scheduled around the race, such as crypto conference Token2049 and the Milken Institute Asia Summit.
Travelers from North America and Europe collectively account for around a quarter of arrivals ahead of this year’s race in Singapore, and they tend to arrive earlier and stay longer than those coming from Asia, according to Sojern’s data.
Australians still have the largest share of inbound flight bookings; however, arrivals from South Korea and China increased this year, breaking into the top 5, surpassing the United Kingdom, it showed.
The 2025 race is also attracting more families, up 6.6% from last year, while solo travelers fell 8%, indicating a rise in leisure travelers attending the race.
“This means that the stays will be extended,” said National University of Singapore’s Elhajjar. “That’s great for the economy of Singapore … [and] the economy of the region.”
A separate survey from Hilton published Thursday found that some 40% of travelers in Asia-Pacific plan to book an international trip to attend a sporting or music event, led by 59% of respondents in China and 57% in India.
“The findings reinforce a broader consumer shift, with customers increasingly prioritizing spend on experiences over physical goods,” said Ben George, senior vice president and commercial director, Asia Pacific, Hilton.
The survey, which polled 5,000 respondents from China, India, Japan, Australia and Singapore, also revealed that travelers are spending more money and loyalty points on experiences at these events, such as meet-and-greets with drivers and behind-the-scenes tours, he said.
George said Hilton members spent more than 9 million loyalty points on six Singapore Grand Prix experience packages this year, which was “a 23% increase compared with last year — the highest total to date for this race.”
