SINGAPORE (AFP) ― International visitor arrivals to Singapore fell 3 percent in the first half of this year, hurt by a 30 percent drop in tourists from China, official data showed Wednesday.

Singapore’s tourism board said overall arrivals totaled 7.5 million in the six months to June, with second-quarter numbers dipping by a sharper 6 percent.

Travelers from China totaled 871,000 in the first half, almost a third fewer than from the same period last year, the board said.

It said that a tourism law implemented by China in October last year which tightened regulations on overseas travel contributed to the decline.

“In addition, the disappearance of flight MH370, abduction of Chinese visitors in Sabah and political unrest in Thailand have all had a dampening effect on Chinese travel to the region,” the board said.