Singapore eyes Asia cruise market with new terminal

Posted on 22 May 2012 - 07:51pm
Last updated on 22 May 2012 - 08:00pm

SINGAPORE (May 22, 2012): A multi-million-dollar cruise terminal capable of accommodating the world's largest luxury cruise liners will start operating this weekend, officials said Tuesday.

The opening of the Marina Bay Cruise Centre Singapore will allow the city-state to tap Asia's growing cruise industry, they said, while it will also provide thousands of new jobs.

On Saturday, the S$500 million (US$395 million) terminal will welcome its first ship -- the Royal Caribbean International's 138,000-tonne Voyager of the Seas luxury liner.

With a capacity of 3,840 passengers and 1,176 crew, the vessel will be the largest of its kind to dock in Singapore, terminal operator SATS-Creuers Cruise Services said in a statement.

This will "pave the way for the newer generation of larger cruise liners to dock in Singapore and Asia, including Oasis-Class ships," it said, referring to the world's largest passenger liners.

Situated at the edge of Singapore's waterfront downtown district, the ultra-modern terminal is expected to latch onto the city's booming tourism industry, which benefited from double digit growth in visitor arrivals to 13.2 million last year.

Tourism receipts came in at S$22.3 billion last year, up 18% from 2010.

Singapore's tourism authorities said it received close to one million cruise passengers in 2011, generating S$520 million in direct spending.

"Singapore's strategic location coupled with the terminal's state-of-the-art facilities and proximity to the city and Singapore Changi Airport will anchor the country's position as Asia's leading cruise hub," said Melvin Vu, chief executive of SATS-Creuers Cruise Services.

The terminal will be operated by a joint venture between Singapore Airport Terminal Services and Europe's Creuers del Port de Barcelona.

Singapore's second minister for trade and industry S. Iswaran said during a media tour of the facility on Tuesday the terminal's opening would create 3,000 jobs and other spin-off benefits.

"The hotels also stand to benefit to the extent that we become a turnaround cruise port... where people come to Singapore in order to board the cruise ship or to disembark in Singapore before going home," Iswaran added.

Other cruise operators such as Florida-based Celebrity Cruises and Italy's Costa Cruises are also scheduled to start deploying liners to the city-state in the next two years. – AFP

Sources: http://www.thesundaily.my/news/386002

Singapore expects 10% increase in Gulf visitors this summer

Tourists from UAE visiting city state rise 18% in first quarter

Dubai: The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) expects a 10 per cent increase in visitors from the Gulf during the upcoming summer holiday months compared to the 2011 summer period, according to a senior Singapore tourism official.

"Thanks to recent investment in exciting new tourism infrastructure, the ‘new' Singapore offers a truly differentiated holiday experience to Gulf visitors," Mohammad Hafez Marican, STB's Area Director for the Middle East and Africa, said in a statement.

Outlook

He expects at least a 10 per cent increase in the number of visitors from the Gulf region to Singapore this summer season.
Meanwhile, the STB data reveal that 14,280 tourists from the UAE visited Singapore in the first quarter of 2012.
This marked an increase of more than 18 per cent over the corresponding period a year earlier.
During this time, Singapore also saw a 36.3 per cent increase in visitors from Saudi Arabia, data show.
Meanwhile, the Gulf region overall saw a general increase in visitors over the same period, the tourism board said in the statement.
It added that the growth in regional visitors to Singapore comes on the back of a number of new attractions being revealed as the existing ones are renewed.


New flights

Airlines have also begun to meet this increased demand through the introduction of new flights or services, according to STB.
Emirates offers 29 flights a week from Dubai to Singapore, and Qatar Airways offers 14 flights a week from Doha.

Sources: http://gulfnews.com/business/tourism/singapore-expects-10-increase-in-gulf-visitors-this-summer-1.1026472

Singapore reminas top convention city in Asia

Singapore remains top convention city in Asia

Updated: 2012-05-22 21:00

( Xinhua)分享按钮

SINGAPORE - Singapore maintained its position as Asia's top convention city for the 10th consecutive year in the latest rankings by the International Congress and Convention Association, the Singapore Tourism Board said on Tuesday.

It is also the only Asian city in the top five convention cities worldwide alongside Vienna, Barcelona, Paris and Berlin, which took the top four positions.

Singapore welcomed a record 13.2 million visitors last year. Business visitors accounted for 24 percent of the total visitor arrivals in Singapore. Expenditure by these business travelers increased by 4.1 percent to an estimated 5.6 billion Singapore dollars ($4.4 billion) or 25 percent of the total tourism receipts.

The meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions (MICE) industry saw a year-on-year growth of 46 percent in the number of conventions, conferences and trade shows held in Singapore last year.

Neeta Lachmandas, assistant chief executive of Singapore Tourism Board said Singapore's success can be attributed to factors such as a vibrant eco-system that nurtures business events of exceptional quality, the dynamic growth in Asia, and the dedication of the industry partners.

"Singapore aims to continue leveraging the growing opportunities in Asia and our strong knowledge network to further strengthen our position as a preferred MICE destination," she said. "Singapore strives to differentiate itself by co-creating and developing a strong network of business events within Singapore's key priority industries.

Madrid and London came in the sixth and seventh positions, respectively, while Amsterdam took the eighth position. Istanbul was ranked the ninth, followed by Beijing in the tenth position.

Sources: http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/world/2012-05/22/content_15360526.htm