The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) has set ambitious 2008 targets to achieve £5.6 billion (S$15.5 billion) in tourism receipts (TR) and attract 10.8 million visitor arrivals (VA). This follows record breaking VA figures of 10.3 million in 2007 and Tourism Receipts of £4.6 billion (SGD13.8 billion), with the UK continuing to perform well, registering a record 496,000 visitors to Singapore in 2007…
The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) has set ambitious 2008 targets to achieve £5.6 billion (S$15.5 billion) in tourism receipts (TR) and attract 10.8 million visitor arrivals (VA). This follows record breaking VA figures of 10.3 million in 2007 and Tourism Receipts of £4.6 billion (SGD13.8 billion), with the UK continuing to perform well, registering a record 496,000 visitors to Singapore in 2007.
Singapore Tourism Board Area Director North & West Europe, Ms Divya Panickar , said: “These are certainly ambitious targets that we have set ourselves for 2008. The UK is a key market for Singapore and it is crucial that we work closely with our trade partners if we are to achieve yet another record-breaking year and continue to encourage more people to choose Singapore as their next holiday or business destination.”
The Singapore Tourism Board has embarked on several new initiatives with UK trade partners to showcase Singapore’s exciting developments. It is also working with agents to ignite their enthusiasm and understanding of Singapore’s vibrant and varied landscape.
2008 started on a strong note for Singapore with the opening of Changi Airport’s new Terminal 3. And the list of developments for the year does not stop there: March sees the opening of the Singapore Flyer, the world’s highest observation wheel; on 18 March the world’s largest passenger plane the A380 commences scheduled services from Singapore to London with Singapore Airlines; and on 28 September, Singapore will host the inaugural 2008 Formula One™ SingTel Singapore Grand Prix, the first and only night race on the Formula One™ calendar as well as Asia’s first city street circuit. This is in addition to the various new hotels and restaurants that are scheduled to open in 2008.
Singapore’s position as a major venue for Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Exhibitions (MICE) events has also been given a boost this year with the news that a further three major players have chosen to set up base in Singapore. Kellen Company, one of the world’s largest association management companies with over 100 association clients, has forged an alliance with Singapore-based CMA International Consultants Pte Ltd to set up their Asia-Pacific headquarters in Singapore which opened in January 2008. Through this partnership, Kellen Company and CMA aim to provide global solutions to international associations and NGOs and interest their clients to conduct their meetings and business events in Singapore. The second company is Leipziger Messe GmbH, organiser of the largest interactive gaming exhibition in Europe – Games Convention (Germany). Leipziger Messe will be opening an Asia Pacific office in Singapore later this month. The company will be leveraging its position in Singapore to further develop Games Convention Asia, which it brought to the city-state in 2007. The third player setting up its base in Singapore in 2008 is Kenes International, one of the world’s leading Professional Conference Organisers. Through its strong background in biomedical events, Kenes will enable Singapore to better anchor and develop biomedical events here and consolidate Singapore’s position as Asia’s biomedical hub.
Singapore is also witnessing several other new developments in the coming years, particularly in the cruise and hotel sectors:
Construction of International Cruise Terminal at Marina South
The cruise industry has been identified as a new growth opportunity for Singapore’s tourism sector, with an expected 1.5 million cruise passenger throughput for Asia expected by 2010. As such, more international cruise companies are strengthening their presence in the region, using Singapore as a homeport for their ships as they cruise within Asia.
A new International Cruise Terminal at Marina South will be developed, to ensure that Singapore has the right facilities to attract the new generation of larger cruise ships. This will enable Singapore to successfully capitalise on the global and Asian market growth and become a major cruise hub. The new terminal is expected to be completed in 2010. It will address the current constraints and have features such as larger berths and a larger turning basin. It will also ensure smoother and seamless accessibility for both passengers and cruise ships. More details will be available in March.
Singapore’s hotel sector
The hotel sector is another growth area, given the rising demand for hotel rooms. In recent years, there has been heightened interest among hotel developers to invest in Singapore, a trend that will help ease the current hotel room shortage situation. The next three to four years will see another 12,000 more hotel rooms come on stream as new hotels open.
