SINGAPORE received 0.8 per cent more visitors in April from a year ago to a record high number for the month, though the pace of growth slowed from a 5.7 per cent rise in March, the government said on Tuesday.

The South-east Asian country received 826,000 visitors last month, a record for April, as travel and airline promotions pulled in more tourists from Vietnam, China and Australia, the Singapore Tourism Board said.

Singapore wants to grow its services industry to offset weakness in the manufacturing industry, where jobs are being lost to cheaper centres such as China and Thailand.

The number of visitor days in April hit an estimated 3.3 million days, below the estimated 3.4 million days in March.

Hotels earned S$186 million ($136.6 million) in room revenue in April, up 30.1 per cent from a year ago but below the S$189 million earned in March.

Average hotel room rates grew 32.5 per cent from a year ago to an estimated S$254 in April, higher than March's rate of S$238.

Bankers and business executives make up about a third of visitors to Singapore, a finance centre that competes with Hong Kong. -- REUTERS