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REPORT – ITB 2006, BERLIN: After the successful introduction two years ago of the ‘Uniquely Singapore’ branding campaign, this year Singapore is introducing a second phase – ‘Beyond words’ – in which…
REPORT – ITB 2006, BERLIN: After the successful introduction two years ago of the ‘Uniquely Singapore’ branding campaign, this year Singapore is introducing a second phase – ‘Beyond words’ – in which various visitors will express their Singapore experience. The campaign will show how visitors are ‘motivated’, ‘exhilarated’, ‘inspired’, ‘entertained’ and ‘captivated’ by Singapore. The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) will particularly target India, China and Asean countries, all fast growing segments due to the massive expansion of air links.
Last year, Singapore attracted 8.94 million visitors, an all-time high, and a 7% increase over 2004. Tourism receipts in 2005 increased by 10% over 2004 to S$10.4 billion. The STB predicts that Singapore will double its visitor count by 2015 and triple its receipts. “However, we are targeting more moderate growth for 2006 as we are beginning to see signs of lack of capacity in the hotel sector, with average annual occupancy remaining at a very high 85%,” says Lim Neo Chian, STB chief executive. “We expect a little over 9 million visitors for this year.”
The government is actively encouraging the construction of new hotels and has recently allocated new land plots for the sector. At least 3,000 new rooms should be in operation by 2007. Another major project is the development of two new casino-integrated resorts. Following bids last year, the government will reveal by mid-2006 the name of the selected developer for the first casino on Marina Bay in the city centre. The results of the tender for the second casino resort on Sentosa Island will only be known by the end of the year.
