Saturday, October 04, 2008 Agency holds road show to lure more Cebuanos to go to Singapore
IN AN effort to attract more tourists, the Singapore Tourism Board will open a two-day promotional road show today at SM City Cebu, which will also give shoppers a chance to win a free trip to Singapore.
“Our road show is also one way of reaching out to Ce-buanos and encourage them to come to Singapore and shop early for Christmas,” said Lynelle Seow, Singapore Tourism Board (STB) area director for Philippines and Brunei.
The STB is an economic development agency for one of Singapore’s key service sectors, tourism. It markets Singapore through the “Uniquely Singapore” brand.
The road show, visible through the Singapore’s shoppers’ booth at SM City Cebu’s atrium, is part of STB’s efforts to increase the number of Filipinos, specifically Cebuano families and young professionals, visiting Singapore. The STB will also hold a variety show at SM City as part of the promotion.
Singapore, which had 10.3 million tourist arrivals in 2007, considered the Philippines as its ninth tourism market for that year; with Cebu as the second highest visitor-generating city, next to Manila.
More than 20,000 Cebuanos visited Singapore in 2007. This represents a 5.2 percent-market share and reflects a 27-percent increase over 2006 figures.
Seow attributed the increase to the growing awareness among Filipinos, the result of STB’s regular advertising in national papers, and to the establishment of more direct flights from Cebu to Singapore via Cebu Pacific, among others.
However, Seow said arrivals in Singapore from Cebu decreased by 14 percent from January to August this year compared to the same period in 2007 due to the slowdown in the global economy.
The peak season for Singapore’s tourism is in April, November and December. This is why the STB set the road show this month. Early next year, STB plans to promote “Uniquely Singapore” in Davao.
“We wanted to erase the perception that there is nothing to do in Singapore,” Seow said. “The place is very vibrant with lots of activities and sites to visit. Everything is so near and convenient. It’s compact and Cebuanos can easily adjust to the weather. The sites are so pronounced that it is a
juxtaposition of the East and West, making Singapore very unique.”
She added that Cebuanos and Singaporeans share something in common—love for food and shopping.
The STB aims to maintain tourism as Singapore’s economic pillar by tripling tourism receipts to Singaporean $30 billion, doubling visitor arrivals to 17 million and creating additional 100,000 jobs in the services sector by 2015.
Consequently, the board focuses on key customer segments, including business travel, meetings, incentives, conventions, exhibitions, leisure, education and health care services through infrastructure, capability and product development.
The STB also expects more visitors in Singapore with the opening in 2009 of the Marina Bay Sands—which showcases underwater restaurants, art and science museums, and casino, among others—and the Resorts World at Sentosa—a Singaporean $45.2 billion, 49-hectare development with a casino and a Universal Studios theme park—in 2010. (NRC)
