Tourism & Hospitality Industry Overview
Tourism contributes some 4% to Singapore’s GDP and employs about 150,000 people. Visitor arrivals to Singapore reached 9.7 million in 2009, with tourism receipts from January to December 2009 reaching $12.5 billion.
Exciting Developments
The opening of the two Integrated Resorts (IRs) Resorts World Sentosa and Marina Bay Sands in 2010 is expected to boost tourism figures exponentially, with their convention and exhibition facilities, themed attractions, entertainment venues, recreation facilities, as well as hotel and retail mix. Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix night race and the Singapore Flyer have also created buzz and attracted international attention.
Career Opportunities
Major employers in the tourism and hospitality industry include hotels, attractions, the Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Exhibitions (MICE) sector, travel companies, retail establishments, food and beverage enterprises and the two Integrated Resorts.
The tourism industry accepts committed and passionate individuals from all disciplines of study. Fresh entrants as well as mid-career professionals are welcome.
Attractions
Singapore’s attractions sector is bustling with popular tourist sites such as Universal Studios, the Singapore Flyer, the Zoo and the Night Safari.
Meet
ings , Incentive Travel, Conventions & Exhibition (MICE)MICE activities play a significant role in strengthening Singapore’s positions as a tourism centre in Asia. Currently, more than 6,000 MICE events are held in Singapore annually.
Hotels & Accomodation
The hotels and accommodations sector has been performing well consistently. Upcoming developments and investments point to a continued, positive outlook for the sector in the mid to long term.
Integrated Resorts
Together, the two Integrated Resorts are expected to employ 20,000 directly, with another 30,000 jobs created throughout the economy.
About Singapore
In the heart of Asia lies Singapore – a bustling, world-class city state that has made waves around the world for its business excellence, connectivity to the world and its innovation.
Singapore has been consistently acknowledged as a global business hub – one that features developed infrastructure, political stability, open business policies, a skilled workforce, the use of English as the main working language and respect for intellectual properly rights. To date, more than 7,000 multinational companies have set up bases in Singapore, next to 100,000 small and medium enterprises. Business owners all over the world regard Singapore as an ideal location to grow their businesses, with many of them using the country as a springboard to tap into other emerging markets in Asia.
Besides being ranked by Doing Business 2009 (an annual report by the World bank Group which compares business regulations in 181 countries) as the world’s easiest place to do business, Singapore has, among its many accolades, the top ranking in the 2008-2009 Global Competitiveness Report by the World Economic Forum as being the most competitive economy in Asia, and was also ranked by the Worldwide Quality of Living Index 2007 (by Mercer Human Resource Consulting) as the top Asian country for its quality of life.
Global talent accounts for about 30% of the workforce, attracted by open recruitment policies, low personal taxation, a meritocratic society that embraces diversity, and a high quality of life in a cosmopolitan environment.
