2009 reasons to enjoy Singapore
Singapore Tourism Board has announced the launch of a S$90 million initiative (approximately £42 million) to encourage tourism during the challenging times being faced by the sector across the world. The BOOST (Building on Opportunities to Strengthen Tourism) campaign aims to increase travel to Singapore and will include tactical marketing campaigns developed in collaboration with tourism industry partners.
The BOOST initiative will see the launch of a “2009 Reasons to Enjoy Singapore” global marketing campaign, under which visitors can enjoy travel packages and promotions that offer quality and exciting experiences at value-for-money prices. The aim of this year-long campaign is to stimulate demand to capture mindshare and maintain market share in the key markets.
In total, 8 key markets will participate in the campaign: Indonesia, Malaysia, China, India, Vietnam, UK, Germany and Australia. In the UK, the thrust of the campaign will focus on the promotion of Singapore as a must-see stopover destination and will see the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) partner with a number of key tour operators on a wide range of exciting promotional campaigns, including a mix of print, online, in-store and broadcast media.
STB’s Area Director for Northern and Western Europe, Divya Panickar, explains: “We are really excited to launch this campaign in the UK market and to be able to continue to work closely with our tour operator and airline partners. The UK market held up well under difficult circumstances in 2008 and this campaign will help us maintain our visitor arrival levels in what appears to be a challenging year for the industry.”
Among the tour operator partners involved in Singapore Tourism Board’s latest marketing push is Trailfinders, whose Marketing Manager, Nikki Davies, confirmed: “We are delighted to be part of this new and exciting campaign in conjunction with the Singapore Tourism Board. Singapore has always been popular with our clients as both a stopover and as a destination in its own right. We are confident in the success of this campaign and look forward to seeing a subsequent growth in visitor numbers for 2009.”
Alasdair Farrimond, the Marketing Director of Travel 2 shares the enthusiasm: “We expect the “2009 Reasons” campaign to cement Singapore as our biggest selling destination in the Far East and we are delighted to be continuing our strong partnership with STB, which goes from strength to strength. With a raft of new hotels and attractions coming on stream, this is a very exciting time to be promoting Singapore, which is more than holding its own in the competitive stopover market.”
Singapore Airlines General Manager, UK and Ireland, Joey Seow adds: “Singapore is a popular and attractive destination for UK visitors. Singapore Airlines is happy to contribute towards this global campaign by offering extremely compelling fares as an added incentive to travel to Singapore and the region.”
Following an exciting 2008, which saw the opening of the world’s largest observation wheel, the Singapore Flyer, the world’s first-ever Formula One night race and the opening of the Marina Barrage reservoir, 2009 will also pay witness to new developments to entice international visitors, including the completion of the Orchard Road rejuvenation project and the eagerly-awaited opening of the Marina Bay Sands integrated resort.
In recent years Singapore has invested significantly to consolidate its position as Asia’s prime tourism destination, and the United Kingdom continues to be the most important European source market for the destination, with approximately 493,000 visitors in 2008, representing a dip of just 0.6% on the impressive arrival figures for 2007. With the “2009 Reasons to Enjoy Singapore” global campaign, the STB hopes to maintain a strong showing for UK arrivals in the year ahead.
