Mr S Iswaran at the Association of Singapore Attractions’ 14th Annual Dinner

SPEECH FOR MR S. ISWARAN, MINISTER OF STATE, MINISTRY OF TRADE AND INDUSTRY AT THE ASSOCIATION OF SINGAPORE ATTRACTIONS’ 14TH ANNUAL DINNER, 4 JULY 2006, 7.30PM, SINGAPORE ZOO

Distinguished Guests,

Ladies and Gentlemen

Good Evening,

Introduction

In 1994, the world’s first Night Safari opened its doors in Singapore. The Night Safari introduced a new, immersive experience which captured the imagination of all visitors. As with all innovative and successful ideas, it has spawned several similar products elsewhere, the most recent being a project slated for New Delhi.

The fact is that one can be the first, fastest, biggest or the tallest one day, but be quickly eclipsed the next by newer products that are being developed all the time. With intense global competition, how we react to this reality will have a direct impact on whether our attractions will continue to thrive and draw in visitors who are increasingly well-travelled, sophisticated and discerning.

Changes in the Tourism Landscape

When the Association of Singapore Attractions or ASA was established in 1992, the tourism landscape was vastly different. Our visitor arrivals for that year was 5.9 million, compared to 8.94 million in 2005. The visitor profile has also changed significantly in recent years, with China and India emerging as strong visitor source markets for Singapore.

Today, the advent of low cost carriers has profoundly changed travel patterns. LCCs have made regional travel more affordable. Indeed, the trends indicate that many are making more frequent and shorter trips around the region instead of taking one long-haul destination holiday annually. For families, it also means that it is less prohibitive to bring the entire family on more overseas vacations.

The family segment, which currently makes up 30 per cent of visitors to Singapore, is one of the key customer segments that the STB has identified under its Tourism 2015 vision. Attractions, in particular, appeal to family travellers as they offer activities that cater to children as well as adults.

In recent months, the STB has announced several new initiatives including the much talked about Integrated Resorts at MarinaBay and Sentosa as well as the Singapore Flyer.

But these initiatives alone are not enough to sustain the continued growth of our tourism industry. With Singapore’s tourism landscape on the threshold of a major transformation, it is important for ASA members to examine the implications of these new developments for your respective attractions

Working Together to Grow and Develop the Attractions Industry

Moving forward, I believe that the tourist attractions industry, like any other business, will have to make a conscious and consistent effort to look ahead and beyond its own fences.

Firstly, we all realise the necessity of constantly refreshing and renewing our products just to stay relevant in this fast changing environment. Underwater World Singapore, for example, has been regularly developing special programs to interest visitors. It was featured twice in the Travel Channel's “World's Best List” and named as one of the top ten best spots to swim with sharks for its 'Diving with the Sharks' program. Their most recent showpiece, believed to be the world's largest display of sand tiger sharks, has garnered considerable news coverage as well.

Next, it is important to understand the profiles and needs of our customers. Consumers are increasingly adventurous - they are unafraid to seek unique and different experiences. While products might be easily imitated, replicating a memorable experience is an entirely different matter.

Hence, I am glad to see that some of you have been active in creating unique experiences for your customers. For example, the Singapore Zoo has unveiled not only a new Australian outback exhibit but also a new free-ranging area for the world’s largest collection of orang utans in captivity. Sentosa has also recently announced a $31 million investment to develop a new nightly attraction at Siloso Beach featuring dramatic water and fire effects as well as high-tech lasers.

On industry development, I am also happy to note that since the beginning of this year, the ASA has completed two rounds of training for its Tourism Host programme. Targeted at member attractions, this training programme aims to foster quality tours and caters to front-line service employees who need to manage groups of tourists and guide them through attractions.

I urge ASA members and other travel industry players to work closely with agencies such as the STB, SPRING Singapore and Singapore Workforce Development Agency to help you improve your attractions and grow your business. For example, to attract more Chinese and Indonesian visitors and enhance their experience at your attraction, it would make good business sense to put up multi-lingual signage and storyboards. By doing this, you will be better able to convey the stories behind the exhibits. I am pleased to note that STB is prepared to co-fund up to 75 per cent of the development costs for such multi-lingual signages.

To address manpower needs in the tourism sector, STB has also recently launched a new training scheme known as Tip-IT (or Training Industry Professional in Tourism). Tip-IT will complement existing WDA training schemes and will fund up to 50 per cent of qualifying training costs.

Conclusion

Looking ahead, the prospects of Singapore’s tourism industry are bright. I am confident that the ASA will evolve with the industry and will continue to play a key role in shaping our tourism landscape. Remaking Singapore into a world-class tourism destination is a relentless endeavour. I urge all of you to continue strengthening this industry alliance and work together with the STB towards this common goal.

Thank you and I wish you all a pleasant evening ahead.