Singapore is a tropical island, ideally positioned in South-east Asia. It is a thriving metropolis offering a world-class infrastructure, a fully integrated island-wide transportation network, dynamic business environment, vibrant living spaces and a rich culture largely influenced by the four major communities in Singapore with each offering different perspective of life in Singapore in terms of culture, religion, food, language and history.
THE DEVELOPMENT OF TOURISM AND BUSINESS TRAVEL IN SINGAPORE I. Singapore tourism overview Singapore is a tropical island, ideally positioned in South-east Asia. It is a thriving metropolis offering a world-class infrastructure, a fully integrated island-wide transportation network, dynamic business environment, vibrant living spaces and a rich culture largely influenced by the four major communities in Singapore with each offering different perspective of life in Singapore in terms of culture, religion, food, language and history. Although Singapore is a small country, it has one of the largest service sectors in tourism the array of entertainment is compatible to other countries. It also enhances the quality and diversity of leisure options for residents and helps to create a living environment that Singaporeans are proud to call home. As one of the leading tourist destinations in Asia and with millions of visitors every year, For Singapore to take this advantage as a tourism destination, it has contributed 3% of Singapore's GDP which has generated a sum of US$ 9.4 billion in 2007. As one of the most popular countries in Asia, Singapore has been growing rapidly for the past few years. With the help of the tourism industry, it has strengthened the infrastructure developments, in addition of various events and the countries strategic location in the heart of region. Singapore is popular as a business traveling destination due to the large number of exhibitions and conferences organized every month in Singapore. A destination is a place which is created for a purpose and that is what Singapore has achieved to be. It has created a destination for tourists from all over the world to visit, sometimes especially for its tropical climate. To stay popular, Singapore has maintained its standards by improving and expanding its tourist attractions. Besides the rising number ofevents and participants, Singaporehas also earned increasing recognition for its first-class MICE infrastructure and environment. With a strong track record of hosting international events, Singapore is a dynamic centre for the MICE industry. Boasting world-class facilities, accommodations and service providers. The history of the tourism industry in Singapore has reflected strong government interest as tourism is seen as a key part of the economy. Their efforts have been rewarded and today Singapore receives over 8 million visitors annually. The tourism sector currently contributes to 4 percent of Singapore's gross domestic product and supports some 160,000 jobs. Its benefits are even greater than these numbers suggest. Tourism plays a key role in reinforcing Singapore's status as a vibrant global city that is a magnet for capital, businesses and talent. Singapore is already one of the leading tourist destinations in Asia, reflecting how developed the country is in terms of tourism. It is one of the most popular business destinations for businessmen because of the well established economy but also of its centralized location which is accessible for all. Due to the rich economy, it attracts even more investors to start their business in Singapore which would help boost its economy. Apart from the economical advantage, Singapore is not only considered as one of the safest countries but also a cosmopolitan one because of the different races living in harmony. II. The succeed in MICE tourism of Singapore For the time being, Singapore enjoys an excellent reputation as a leading convention city and is recognized an Asia’s top MICE (Meetings, Incentive Travel, Conventions and Exhibitions) destination for many associations and corporations thanks to its strategic location, pro-business environment, world-class meeting and exhibition facilities, and excellent transport and communications network. As can be seen from ICCA Global Rankings 2008 table below (ICCA = International Congress and Convention Association), with 118 international association meetings held, Singapore has maintained its position as Asia’s Top Convention City for the 10th time and ranked 4th in the World’s Top Convention City . Rank City Number of meetings 1 Paris 139 2 Vienna 139 3 Barcelona 136 4 Singapore 118 5 Berlin 100 6 Budapest 95 7 Amsterdam 89 8 Stockholm 87 9 Seoul 84 10 Lisbon 83 Moreover, the success of Singapore’s MICE industry can also be expressed in term of its impressive growth in the number of meetings held here over 4 recent years. “In the updated figures for 2004-2008, the rise of Singapore in the international organizations meeting market is a noteworthy feature. In 2004, Singapore stood at a respectable 10th place in the “Top International Meeting City” category. In 2005 it climbed to 8th place, and jumped to 4th place in 2006. In 2007 it made an incredible leap to first place, with almost 30% more meetings than the city in second place. In 2008 it has not only maintained its position in first place, it has increased its margin to 50% more meetings than the second-ranked city,” said Mr. Jacques de Mevius, Secretary-General of UIA. (Singapore continues to reign as top meeting city in 2011 by holding 919 international meetings) The MICE promotion policy of the government took a great role to develop as the world leading country in the field of MICE. By establishing a BTMICE(Business Travel + MICE) department, Singapore Tourism Board has been implementing a series of MICE promotion policies. In addition, SECB(Singapore Exhibition and Convention Bureau) has played important roles like supporting to hold conventions, meetings, exhibitions, conferences and to develop the business Tourism. Building the strategic cluster is also one of the major MICE promotions policies. The strategic cluster means the strategic grouping among the business partners in the field of national core industry. Singapore has been trying to improve the national image by holding conferences in the high-tech and value added industry. Lastly, Singapore has promoted its MICE industry by opening the giantic integrated resorts, Resort World Sentosa and Marina Bay Sands. Singapore is seen as “the most favorite business environmental city” by the readers of the TIME magazine.Singapore has a lot of factors to become the best destination for MICE tourism in Asian area. III. Reasons for the great success of Singapore’s MICE tourism Firstly, regarding Singapore’s location, it can be seen that Singapore has a really strategic position that allows an easy accessibility and large market catchment. Located at the crossroads of the world in the Strait of Malacca, Singapore taps into a market catchment size of 3.3 billion people within just 7 hours flight time. Conventions and exhibitions can conveniently take advantage of Singapore’s superior accessibility to attract a huge amount of international participation, especially from such fast-growing and emerging markets as China, India and Asia- Pacific. Besides, Singapore’s Changi International Airport acts as a premier international aviation hub for 83 international airlines that enables Singapore to be widely connected with 185 cities in 58 countries. Also, since March 2006 the Budget Terminal customized for low cost airlines carriers has been launched into operation, which makes traveling to Singapore more and more affordable for both delegates and meeting attendees within Asia. Furthermore, an entry visa for a short-term visit is not required in Singapore for most of the countries in the world. Secondly, Singapore’s exciting cultural and social experience should be properly taken into consideration because it also creates another favorable condition for Singapore to win the bid for international conferences. Containing a mix of different races, religions, cultures and languages interacting and living together in harmony over the decades provides Singapore a unique feature like no others. Moreover, Singapore also has its own reputation of being a food paradise with a variety of cuisines including both Western and Singapore traditional ones. Furthermore, in Singapore, there is a ready availability of exciting leisure places for all delegates in their post- meeting trip, from the thrill-seekers to the nature-lovers. Thirdly, Singapore is considered a center of professional PEOs, PCOs & DMCs. In Singapore we can easily find out some of the region’s most experienced Professional Exhibition Organizers (PEOs), Professional Conventions Organizers (PCOs), and Destination management companies (DMCs) such as Reed Exhibitions, Singapore Exhibition Services or Messe Dusseldorf and so many more. With an established reputation and professional skills, these convention companies will ensure that every last detail is carefully taken care of and every moment skillfully coordinated in order to produce a successful event. Fourthly, it is the excellent capacity of professional conference venues and facilities in Singapore. Singapore possesses a rich variety of convention and exhibition centers that can meet the requirements of any conferences and social events held in this country. Suntec Singapore International Convention and Exhibition Center and Singapore Expo are among the major players in the business. Both have a capacity to accommodate a meeting of up to 15,000 participants. In addition, most of five-star hotels in Singapore have their own built-in conference rooms that can hold a meeting of up to 500 people. Furthermore, the technologically advanced facilities provided in these convention centers also contribute to the great success of any conference and exhibition held in Singapore. With being the third most wired nation in the world, Internet and teleconferencing services are available at many business hotels and venues. Finally, we will not forget to mention the support from the Singapore Exhibition and Convention Bureau (SECB). The Singapore Exhibition & Convention Bureau (SECB) is officially established under the control of the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) and acts as a general supporter for enhancing the overall experiences of the delegates. The SECB often launches incentive campaign to attract event organizers to hold their events in the city state. For instance, a campaign named “Make It Singapore” initiated in 2003 attracted at least 40 major MICE events held in the same year. . the field of MICE. By establishing a BTMICE(Business Travel + MICE) department, Singapore Tourism Board has been implementing a series of MICE promotion policies. In addition, SECB (Singapore Exhibition. high-tech and value added industry. Lastly, Singapore has promoted its MICE industry by opening the giantic integrated resorts, Resort World Sentosa and Marina Bay Sands. Singapore is seen as “the. magazine .Singapore has a lot of factors to become the best destination for MICE tourism in Asian area. III. Reasons for the great success of Singapore s MICE tourism Firstly, regarding Singapore s