Singapore will install Automated Border Control System (ABCS) at its checkpoints starting in 2024, which will allow residents and visitors leaving the nation to clear quickly and contactless without the need for passports.
Everything You Should Know About Travel To Singapore Without Passport
The Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) announced that 800 automated lanes utilizing the ABCS would replace manned counters at checkpoints throughout all passenger halls during its work plan conference at the Singapore Expo on May 5.
For clearance, the ABCS lanes will employ devices like biometrics. According to a Straits Times story, these are a part of the ICA’s new clearance concept (NCC), which aims to provide speedier and more secure immigration as well as customs clearance.
The idea was originally introduced in 2019, and Changi Airport Terminal 4 hosted a trial run for it the same year, according to the newspaper.
For individuals who are driving, the ICA will also automate the immigration clearance procedure. The Automated Passenger In-Car Clearance System (APICS) underwent live trials in 2022. Under this approach, passengers in cars can clear themselves with little to no help from cops.
According to the ICA, the APICS will be implemented at all land checkpoints during the following five years in three phases. Passports will be phased out in 2024 and replaced by QR codes that may be scanned at manual auto counters. Through the MyICA smartphone app, travelers can build a profile and generate their QR code. They can then scan the QR code at the counters, where ICA agents will compare the travelers’ facial photos with the information gleaned from the QR code.
The second phase will include the implementation of the APICS lanes at Tuas Checkpoint in 2026. Travelers will be able to scan their produced QR codes and present them here to present their biometric information for identification verification, effectively eliminating the requirement for police to be stationed at each lane. These lanes will be put in place at the upgraded Woodlands Checkpoint by 2028.
Before implementing APICS across land checkpoints, the ICA will first cooperate with the Home Team Science and Technology Agency to improve it.
Tourism Stats – Singapore
Singapore had 6.3 million foreign visitors in 2022, an increase from 2.9 million in 2021.
From $6.9 billion in 2021, tourism receipts increased to $14 billion in 2018.
Malaysia, Indonesia, India, China, and Australia were the top five source nations for tourists to Singapore in 2022.
12 million to 14 million foreign visitors are anticipated to arrive in Singapore in 2023.
The industry will generate between $18 billion and $21 billion in revenue.
The Singaporean government is attempting to increase the number of visitors from China and India.
Singapore welcomed 19.1 million visitors in 2019, who spent S$27.7 billion there.
China, Malaysia, Indonesia, India, and Australia were the top five source nations for tourists to Singapore in 2019.
The Marina Bay, Gardens by the Bay, Sentosa Island, Singapore Zoo, and Night Safari were the top tourist destinations in Singapore in 2019.
Singapore’s top industry, tourism, contributed 5.1% of the nation’s GDP in 2018.
To draw in more visitors in the upcoming years, the Singaporean government is investing in new tourist infrastructure, such as the Jewel Changi Airport and the Tuas Megaport.
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