Singapore advances quality tourism concept

The Singapore Tourism Board has embarked on a shift towards ‘quality tourism’, a yield-driven development model that emphasises strong economic contribution, development of attractive tourism experiences, targeted marketing strategies, strengthening industry competitiveness and visitor engagement.

As the current chair of the the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Quality Tourism Working Group, Singapore is working with ASEAN colleagues and the ASEAN Secretariat to see through the development of new products such as green hotels, homestay, spa services and MICE facilities to ensure future sustainable and quality tourism growth.

Singapore Tourism Board (STB) International Group Assistant Chief Executive Leong Yue Kheong explains “a key component of quality tourism is enhancing Singapore’s destination attractiveness through the development of compelling tourism content that complements our infrastructural offerings.

“In recent years, we have introduced new attractions such as the Gardens by the Bay, River Safari and Sports Hub.

“Next year, we can look forward to even newer attractions such as National Gallery Singapore and Singapore Pinacotheque de Paris.

“It is imperative that we continue to inject the right complementary tourism experiences with these new attractions. We work closely with our industry partners to develop innovative tourism experiences that appeal to the increasingly discerning travellers we get.

“Examples of such collaborations include signature events such as the Singapore Formula One, Singapore Art Week and TravelRave, Asia’s most influential travel trade festival.

“To appeal to the increasingly discerning travellers, our quality tourism strategy also sees us adopting a consumer-centric marketing approach. The focus of our marketing resources will be on influencing the visitorship of our target audience by addressing their specific travel needs and behaviour with the right messages at the right time. Our campaigns for various markets are customised according to our target audience’s needs.

“Even as we drive demand to Singapore, our quality tourism strategy also looks into raising manpower capabilities, improving service and productivity levels and optimising operational efficiency in our hospitality and service sector.

“Another aspect of quality tourism is to ensure that our tourism development efforts are aligned with local aspirations so that Singapore is not just an appealing tourist destination, but also an attractive city to live, work and play. Ongoing efforts are made to engage locals in our tourism projects so that they will play a part in creating the uniquely Singapore experience.

“By moving towards quality tourism, we believe that tourism will continue to be a key economic driver for Singapore. We hope to bring in 4 to 6% more tourism receipts on an annual compounded basis over the next decade. This is more than the annual 3 to 4% projected for Singapore’s GDP. Visitor arrival is also expected to grow at an annual average of 3 to 4% over the same period.”

With tourism development advancing at different levels among ASEAN member states,  Singapore is also contributing to regional tourism development.

Leong adds “Asia-Pacific is a region with a myriad of cultural identity and experiences, as well as varying geographical landscapes and scenery.

“Many of the long-haul travellers from destinations such as US, Europe or even Australia visit the region as part of their multi-destination trip.

“All ten ASEAN countries already collaborate actively to grow tourism in the region. As Singapore serves as a good access node in the regional tourism network, we hope to continue to strengthen cooperation among ASEAN members to harness the tourism potential of the region.

“Such collaboration is significant to the growth of the regional tourism industry. One example is the potential of the region’s cruise industry. Southeast Asia’s diverse culture, landscapes and cuisines, coupled with its year-round good climate and presence of many islands, adds to its ability to become a viable cruising destination that will draw passengers from the region and beyond. As the lead coordinator for the ASEAN Cruise Development initiative, we will continue to work closely with the rest of ASEAN to develop the immense potential of the cruise industry in the region.

“With (the) ASEAN Economic Community 2015 round the corner, and ASEAN Tourism having accomplished many of the initiatives set out under the ASEAN Tourism Strategic Plan 2011-2015, ASEAN is in the midst of setting up a Task Force to review the ASEAN Tourism Strategic Plan beyond 2015. We believe in the positive outcomes generated from these discussions and will continue to contribute to them.”

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