Singapore museums have won the hearts of many international visitors, according to a survey done by the National Heritage Board (NHB) and Singapore Tourism Board (STB) last year.

The survey found 70 per cent of respondents impressed with the variety of museums, and many amazed with the high curatorial standards, commenting they were comparable to top international museums.

During a recent visit to the Singapore museums, Ms Alissandra Cummins, President of the International Council of Museums (ICOM) said, "I am positively impressed by the high quality, intriguing and accessible content, and professional design of Singapore's museum galleries. The exhibits I encountered during my trip have more than met international standards of practice."

The museums were positioned by NHB as a cultural gateway to Asia that offers unique regional perspectives. Museum themes range from arts and culture, to science and even healthcare.

Last year, 26 per cent more people visited the museums raising the total visitorship to 6.5 million, of which overseas visitors comprise 37 per cent. The international visitors are mostly from Britain, Australia, the USA, India and the Philippines.

An American tourist, Ms Sandra Simmons exclaimed, "I love the museums in Singapore! I was surprised by their range and the depth of focus. It was a simply lovely experience."

The most visited museum according to the survey is the National Museum with a total of 871,800 visitors last year. This is followed by National Library Gallery, Asian Civilisations Museum, Images of Singapore and the Singapore Art Museum.

Boutique museums also made the top 20 list with The Changi Museum (dedicated to the patriotic soldiers who fought in Singapore during World War II) and The MINT Museum of Toys (the world's first purpose-built toy museum) reaping in the most crowds.

Special promotions such as The Great Singapore PassT and the NHB Three-Day Museum Pass have also helped create publicity making the museums even more accessible to tourists and locals.