SG50 a good chance to share the Singapore story: S Iswaran

Second Trade and Industry Minister S Iswaran shared his insights about the outlook for Singapore's tourism sector, as the country marks its 50th anniversary.
By Nicole Tan, Channel NewsAsia, 15 Jan 2015

As Singapore gears up to celebrate its Golden Jubilee this year , efforts are underway to give visitors that quintessential Singapore experience. Speaking to Channel NewsAsia on Wednesday (Jan 14), Second Minister for Trade and Industry S Iswaran says the anniversary is a good opportunity to share the Singapore story.

"The Singapore story is one that has attracted a lot of attention internationally. People always wonder about how Singapore has come this far and so I think SG50 would punctuate that for them in a specific way because it is our Golden Jubilee, and I think they will be intrigued and curious to see what Singapore is doing and how we are celebrating," he said. 

The showcase Singapore Inside Out, for example, is part of the SG50 celebrations and will bring together a wide range of homegrown talent from sectors such as fashion and the arts. The showcase will visit major cities such as Beijing, New York and London.

"That will be an important aspect of taking Singapore to the world, showing aspects of Singapore that people may be surprised by and may not have anticipated," he said. The showcase returns to Singapore in November.

"Even Singaporeans may not fully appreciate the diversity of talent we have," he noted. "This is another aspect of the tourism mind because tourism is not just about physical attractions or physical facilities. It's also about the people and what we do. This sort of showcase is a marvelous example of how we can encapsulate in a very concentrated form what is interesting and unique about Singapore."

He also shared other insights about the outlook for Singapore's tourism sector.

Q: We have seen a lot of new attractions and events in recent years. How would you say the progress has been so far in rejuvenating Singapore's tourism landscape?

A: Another development that has been important in the evolution over the last decade has been the advent of the Integrated Resorts (IRs).

Both IRs, in different ways, have contributed to the tourism landscape, whether in terms of MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions), leisure activities for families, and in general, F&B and retail. There is a spectrum of things they have been able to put on table. Once you incorporated iconic architecture in Marina Bay, it helped to enhance our value proposition to visitors.

There were some specific events that occured. One of them was the official opening of the River Safari. That is a new offering in the Mandai cluster. I think it has been very well received looking at the response of Singaporeans and tourists alike.

If you look at what's been achieved over a 10-year period, overall the trend has been strong. It has allowed us to benefit from the secular growth in the tourism sector in Asia. There have been occasional episodic setbacks, but overall it has been a good trend and that is the key thing we want to sustain. Singapore must be able to maintain its fair share of the growing tourism pie in Asia.


Q: What is the overall strategy adopted when selecting attractions and events?

A: If you look at how we have been evolving the tourism landscape in Singapore, there's been a significant emphasis on quality tourism. That means ensuring the experience of visitors to Singapore is a one which encourages them to stay longer, and also to spend more.

There has been significant emphasis on not just attractions which are an important part of what we have to offer, but also in terms of events, activities, experiences that visitors enjoy, and also the quality of service that they expect from Singapore.

It is not just about absolute numbers of visitors, because there is a natural limit to how many people you can physically accommodate over a period of time. Growth in the absolute sense cannot be infinite. It has to focus on therefore the quality element.

In other words, how long people stay, how much they spend and the kind of experience that they have. That will then to some extent allow for a more balanced way of growing the tourism sector in Singapore.


Q: Major sporting events like the Formula One night race and WTA Finals have also found a place on Singapore's events calendar. Is sports an area of opportunity for Singapore, and are there plans to keep bringing in new games?

A: From the Singapore Tourism Board's (STB) perspective and the Ministry of Trade and Industry's perspective in general, we really want to focus on events that would have not just a specific appeal to the sporting segment but those that can be built into larger lifestyle events, so that other segments of the market would be attracted to get involved.

If you look at what happened with F1, it was not just an event for motor sports enthusiasts, but also others who are interested because of the event itself and all the other things that take place around it, including the concerts and F&B.

STB appreciates the fact that sports events can be an important part of the tourism ecosystem. So it will be working with the private sector and Government to see what other sort of events we can focus on, in order to populate Singapore's sports calendar in an interesting way.