Mr S Iswaran at the Opening Ceremony of Carnival Asia’s Singapore Office and Maiden Call of Costa Atlantica

SPEECH BY MR S ISWARAN, MINISTER, PRIME MINISTER’S OFFICE, SECOND MINISTER FOR HOME AFFAIRS AND TRADE & INDUSTRY AT THE OPENING CEREMONY OF  CARNIVAL ASIA’S SINGAPORE OFFICE AND MAIDEN CALL OF COSTA ATLANTICA, FRIDAY, 3 MAY 2013, 7.15PM, COSTA ATLANTICA

His Excellency Dr Anecleto Felicani, Ambassador of Italy to Singapore

Mr Pier Luigi Foschi, CEO of Carnival Corporation

Ms Christine Duffy, President and CEO of Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA)

Captain Nicolantonio Palombella

Distinguished guests,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Introduction

It gives me great pleasure to join all of you this evening to welcome Costa Atlantica to Singapore.  I would like to take this opportunity to share three key points with all of you.

First, I think this is a very important and milestone event in the development of the cruise industry in Singapore. My colleagues in the Singapore Tourism Board have been working very hard to seed and catalyse the development of this industry. We believe that it has tremendous potential. Carnival opening their Asia office in Singapore and the visit today by Costa Atlantica is an important testament to that conviction that there is potential and good growth markets in Asia.

Secondly, I want to say that from our perspective, Asia presents a compelling tourism growth opportunity. Indeed, the tourism market in Asia is growing at a faster rate than other markets in the world. But at the same time, when we look at the cruise industry, it is an industry that can cater to a particular segment of the tourism market in Asia. Carnival has talked about the “Caribbean of Asia” in this part of the world and to make that a reality will truly transform the tourism market here.

I also want to make a call to all members of the industry, not just the cruise companies but also the travel agents and other companies who work together with the cruise companies. In order to establish a firm foundation for the growth of the cruise industry - not just in Singapore but also in the region, I believe there is scope going beyond the corporate office to look at areas where we can develop links, in terms of onshore programmes, supporting services, as well as in training and development of manpower for a growing industry in this part of the world. Hence, I would like to urge all the stakeholders who are present here today and many others, to work closely with the Singapore Tourism Board and our partners from the industry in order to make this a truly successful venture for all of us.

Finally, I want to congratulate and thank Carnival once again on your vote of confidence in establishing your Asia office in Singapore. We look forward to a long and close partnership with you. Thank you.