HOTELS in the middle rung are raking in the most from Singapore's booming tourism and hotel industry, while those at the bottom two tiers have the most room to grow.

In April, Singapore saw 826,000 tourists arriving on its shores, with 131,000 Indonesians leading the charge, followed by 107,000 Chinese, 63,000 Australians, 63,000 Indians and 53,000 Malaysians.

The arrivals form a new record for the month of April, according to latest statistics released by the Singapore Tourism Board on Tuesday.

STB attributes the rise to more travel and airline promotions and its efforts in marketing and branding Singapore as a destination, especially to regional travellers.

Hotels are estimated to reap $186 million in room revenue, with average room rate in April estimated at $254, an increase of 32.5 per cent over a year ago. Average room occupancy dipped one percentage point over last year to reach 84 per cent.

For the first time, STB has included in the monthly factsheet a breakdown of hotel performance in terms of sectors.

The STB said this new information is to give hoteliers, investors and other tourism industry players a chance to assess how the various sectors have fared.

It is also to 'encourage the development of a range of accommodation options that cater to different market segments.'

In terms of revenue, upscale and mid-tier hotels have gained most from the boom, with their revenue per available room rising over 25 per cent, compared to the same period last year.

These two also chalked up the greatest increase in average room rates, over 27 per cent each, over the same period last year. -ST