Minister Lim Hng Kiang's reply to Parliament Questions on the Singapore Pavilion at the Shanghai World Expo

Question No 448 of Notice Paper No 108 of 2010

Question No 450 of Notice Paper No 111 of 2010 

Name and Constituency of Member of Parliament
Ms Penny Low, Member of Parliament (Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC)
Mr Teo Siong Seng, Nominated Member of Parliament.

Question
A) MP Penny Low (Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC): To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry (a) if he will elaborate on the objective and target number of visitors to the Singapore Pavilion at the Shanghai World Expo and whether it has been achieved; and (b) what is the investment amount and how it is funded.

B) Mr Teo Siong Seng: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry (a) what has been the general feedback from visitors to the Singapore Pavilion at the Shanghai World Expo; and (b) what actions have been or will be taken to improve the Singapore Pavilion.

Answer
Participating in the Shanghai World Expo allows Singapore to share on an international platform the sights, sounds and experiences of Singapore. In line with the World Expo theme “Better City, Better Life”, the Singapore pavilion also provides a platform to share Singapore’s achievements in the area of sustainable urban development. As Expo 2010 is held in China, the content of the pavilion was also geared towards attracting Chinese visitors, in addition to international tourists.

The total cost of the project, including the design and construction of the 3,000 square meter pavilion as well as its operation, is about S$30 million. This amount is comparable to what other countries have spent on similar-sized pavilions. The Government provided the vast majority of the cost, with a contribution of about S$2.3 million coming from corporate sponsorship by Singapore companies. For the 2005 Aichi World Expo, the total cost incurred by us was about S$13 million, for a pavilion that was about 40% of the size of the current Pavilion in the Shanghai World Expo.

Since its opening on 1 May, the Singapore Pavilion has enjoyed strong interest among the World Expo visitors, receiving an average of 15,000 - 20,000 visitors per day, with constant queues of visitors forming outside our pavilion. This represents about 4% of the 400,000 - 500,000 daily visitor ship at the Expo where more than 260 pavilions are showcased. The larger pavilions such as the Japan and Germany Pavilions, which are twice the size of the Singapore Pavilion, receive between 20,000 to 25,000 visitors daily.

STB has polled visitors to obtain feedback of their experience in our pavilion. The feedback received has generally been positive. The pavilion has been reasonably well-received by the China audience, with close to 2,500 media reports commenting positively on the pavilion and its contents. The pavilion theme song “Every Touching Moment”, performed by local artistes comprising Stefanie Sun and JJ Lin among others, has also done well in popular music rankings in China.

At the same time, the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) has received feedback from some members of the public on how the pavilion’s exhibits can be improved. Specifically, the feedback indicates that they would like to see more content showcasing Singapore’s achievements and our multi-racial harmony.

STB has taken these suggestions on board and made improvements to the pavilion. These include the introduction of a video showcasing Singapore’s urban development to be screened in the pavilion theatre; the expansion of existing exhibits to showcase our pioneers, ethnic costumes, festivals and national events; the re-design of various exhibits to improve visitor experience; as well as the re-calibration of corporate messaging within the exhibition zones. In addition, STB has increased the number of guides by 50% to provide visitors with a better understanding of Singapore. The pavilion will continue to host a series of short-term exhibitions to showcase different aspects of Singapore’s culture, history and industry.

These enhancements were in time for the Singapore Pavilion Day celebration on 7 Aug, where STB also took the opportunity to showcase Singapore through cultural dance performances and a music concert held at the Expo site.

It is encouraging that Singaporeans have displayed a sense of ownership over the pavilion, and are keen to share their ideas for improvements. STB welcomes such feedback, and will continue to make improvements to the pavilion to showcase Singapore in a more impactful and meaningful way.