Singapore receives 18.4% more visitors in Sept on—year

By Channel NewsAsia, Updated: 29/10/2010

Singapore receives 18.4% more visitors in Sept on—year

Travellers walk past departure schedule board at the Changi Airport in Singapore.
SINGAPORE: The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) said Singapore received 947,000 visitors in September.

That’s 18.4 per cent more visitors compared to the year—ago month.

It was also the highest number of arrivals received in the month of September and marked the 10th consecutive month of record visitor arrivals.

STB attributed the performance to the Formula One Grand Prix and the draw of the many leisure and entertainment events under the Grand Prix Season Singapore 2010.

Visitor days were estimated at 3.8 million, a year—on—year growth of 17.5 per cent.

Visitors from Indonesia, Malaysia, Australia, China, and India accounted for almost 60 per cent of total visitor arrivals.

Hotels also recorded higher room revenue and occupancy.

Sources:

http://news.xin.msn.com/en/singapore/article.aspx?cp-documentid=4426360

Customer satisfaction in tourism, hotel and accommodation sector improves

A hotel doorman greets a guest alighting from a cab at the entrance of a luxury hotel in Singapore

Customer satisfaction in tourism, hotel and accommodation sector improves
By Mustafa Shafawi and Alvina Soh | Posted: 25 October 2010 1249 hrs

SINGAPORE: The tourism, hotels and accommodation services (THAS) sector has reversed a two-year decline in its customer satisfaction scores.

According to the latest Customer Satisfaction Index published by the Institute of Service Excellence, the sector's score rose by more than two points to 69.3

The institute said the turnaround could be attributed to improved performance in the Attractions and Hotels sub-sectors.

The Hotels sub-sector rose five points to 74.1 while the Attractions sub-sector rose more than two points to 70.3.

The satisfaction score for the Ritz Carlton hotel jumped 5.6 points to 83.6, which the institute said was a breakthrough score in the history of index.

It's the first company ever to achieve a score exceeding 80 points.

The other hotels - Mandarin Orchard, Shangri-La, Grand Hyatt and Swissotel the Stamford - all received glowing report cards too, finishing well above the sector average of 74.1.

"There is a strong alignment between their branding and positioning as well as service delivery, so customers know what they would receive from the hotels and they are satisfied as a result," said Caroline Lim, director of Institute of Service Excellence, Singapore Management University.

Higher satisfaction in the Attractions sub-sector was led by Underwater World, Sentosa and other attractions.

Overall, the F&B sector is also seeing a marginal improvement of 0.1 point to 65.1 points, reversing its downward slide since 2007.

Dragging down the F&B sector is the service performance of Fast Food outlets - the score for that sector dipped by almost 2 points to 62.4.

The slide was attributed to inconsistency in service standards.

"We noticed that fast food restaurants are increasingly catering to different segments of customers. So as they cater to different segments - from kids, youths, adults, people who are in their mid-careers, they will have to take special care of the consistency in their service,” said Lim.

Fast food giant McDonalds told MediaCorp they are continuously improving service levels and have put in place various initiatives to drive customer satisfaction.

A spokesperson for McDonalds said: "We take a holistic approach towards customer experience and seek all opportunities to exceed our customers' expectations.

"For instance, we have enhanced the ambience in many of our restaurants, giving them a more contemporary feel, in order to deliver an even more enjoyable dining experience to our customers."

Academic director of the Institute of Service Excellence, Marcus Lee said more effort was needed in the F&B sector to improve its performance.

For a start, he said businesses might wish to look into their branding and positioning to see if their service delivery is aligned with their brand promise.

Experts said there is a pressing need for F&B businesses to keep pace with evolving needs of customers and their rising expectations.

Lim said: "Expectations are rising definitely, because we see a lot more different world-class restaurants in Singapore right now. And expectations are rising also because customers are travelling and we have different culinary experiences.

"So it's important that F&B operators take note of what the customers are expecting and match up to their expectations."

596 companies took part in the study between July and August this year.

Sources: www.channelnewsasia.com

UK Internship Available for NIM Hospitality Students Now!!!!

Good News for Nanyang Hospitality Students!!

12 months Internship in UK (all parts of England)

Estimated 12 months income: Minimum GBP5.93 per hours X 40 hours per week X 52 weeks =

GBP 12,334 gross per annum

Accommodation is either live in with a deduction for £20-60 per week depending on the hotel.

Staff Benefit: 28 days paid holiday for one calendar year on pro rata basis

Agent Fees : GBP 3000

· Please note Entry Clearance Visa for local British High Commission for individual is not included. ( Approximately GBP130 to be paid in local currency to the local British High Commission directly )

· The intern is eligible to participate in the scheme, i.e.:

• Students need to be on NIM Hospitality programme
• Speaks good English
• Have an IELTS certificate of level 6.0 or above unless diploma/degree attained is taught in English
• Have held no less than £800 or equivalent in their account for the last 3 months
• Be aged 18 and over
• Return air fare and leaves before the expiry of their visa
• If for any reason the internship is terminated before the expiry of their visa the intern must leave the UK.

The process would be as follows :

1/ Once the placement has been organised which Agent will arrange with suitable employers then the Internship agreement, Bank statements, degree qualification or letter confirming they are studying for a diploma/degree and applicants details etc required can be sent to us.

2/ Agent checks documents, compile the application and send these to the sponsoring organisation along with a letter from the applicant confirming Agent is representing them

3/ They issue the certificate of sponsorship and send this to the intern, which the intern should forward to Agent

4/ Agent asks the immigration advisor to complete the entry clearance form on their behalf, collate copies of necessary documents, arrange the entry clearance appointment and provide full instructions on the process.

Singapore economy grows 10.3 percent in Q3: government

Singapore's economy is on track to expand between 13 and 15 percent this year after gross domestic product (GDP) surged an annual 10.3 percent in the third quarter, the government said Thursday.

Growth in the third quarter was slower than the 19.6 percent rise recorded in the previous quarter but this was expected after "exceptional growth" in the first-half of the year," the Ministry of Trade and Industry said.

On a seasonally adjusted quarter-on-quarter basis, the economy shrank 19.8 percent after expanding 27.3 percent in the second quarter, the ministry said in a statement.

"The decline in growth momentum was an expected correction from the exceptional growth in the first half of the year," the ministry said in the statement.

"Growth in the rest of the year will be underpinned by a number of industry-specific factors.

"In particular, continued growth in global demand for electronic products will lend some support to the electronics and precision engineering clusters."

Singapore's small and open economy shrank 1.3 percent in 2009 due to the US-led global economic downturn, but has since rebounded quickly.

Sources: http://sg.finance.yahoo.com/news/Singapore-economy-grows-10-3-afpsg-3062674949.html?x=0