Financial Daily from THE HINDU group of publications
Tuesday, Sep 10, 2002
Financial Daily from THE HINDU group of publications Tuesday, Sep 10, 2002 |
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Industry & Economy
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Tourism Singapore hopes to woo Indian tourists Our Bureau
MUMBAI, Sept. 9 SINGAPORE, which attracted 3.4 lakh visitors from India last year, hopes to record an eight per cent growth in tourist traffic out of the country this year, according to Mr Vimal Harnal, Regional Director, South & West Asia, Singapore Tourism Board (STB). The city came out largely unscathed from the effects of 9/11, suffering a 1.9 per cent dent in tourist arrivals last year. He attributed the performance to the fact that Singapore was considered a "safe destination.'' Mr Harnal was speaking to Business Line on the sidelines of the Singapore Travel Mart, which forms part of the board's sales mission programme. The mart aimed to help the travel trade from Singapore and India interact and network with each other so as to develop more innovative packages for the Indian customer. India, Mr Harnal said, was a prime market for Singapore. The STB was the first national travel organisation to set up shop in the country in 1993, he said. The city-State has been positioned as a family destination, a MICE (meeting, incentives, conventions and exhibitions) market, besides an important centre for educational tourism. Under the last segment, the city-State would be promoted as an ideal destination for school trips. Such excursion packages, he said, were available for as little as Rs 20,000 per head. With the opening of the $600-million Esplanade Theaters, an iconic arts centre, next month, Singapore hopes to also become a destination for the culturally-inclined tourist. The launch of the arts centre will be accompanied by a festival featuring over 70 productions and 600 free events. Singapore, he said, scored over holiday locations in Europe and the US on the comfort level it afforded the Indian traveller, the choice of holiday options and the selection of travel activities available. The tourism mart this year had attracted 24 participants from Singapore including travel agents, hoteliers and members of the tourist industry including representatives from Singapore Zoo, Jurong Birdpark and Sentosa Development Corporation, he said.
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