The local trade has much to rave about and promote for the city-state’s Golden Jubilee
In a bid to reverse slowing visitor figures, the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) has launched a S$20 million (US$14.8 million) global marketing campaign to ride the wave of interest on the nation’s 50th founding anniversary.
Lynette Pang, assistant chief executive of STB’s marketing group, said: “2015 is not only a tremendous milestone for Singapore, but also an opportunity for STB to leverage the international attention to ramp up marketing efforts for destination Singapore. SG50 is a once-in-a-lifetime event for Singapore and has caught the interest of the world, placing us on numerous lists of top places to visit.”
Inbound tour operators and hotels in Singapore have been eager to roll out packages in conjunction with the nation’s 50th birthday.
Judy Lum, Tour East’s group vice president of sales and marketing, said: “We are currently looking at reiterating SG50 to convey the message that some packages come once in 50 years. For instance, tourists would be more compelled to retrace the Singapore history during the World War II with visits to the Changi Chapel and Museum and Kranji War Memorial.”
More than 35 hotels, including Park Hotel Group and Sheraton Towers Singapore, have already committed to offering a Pay Two, Stay Three offer, while children will have complimentary access to several Singaporean attractions.
The Pan Pacific Hotels Group (PPHG) has launched a SG50 promotion at its two Pan Pacific and three Parkroyal hotels in Singapore to offer selected travel consultants who book through the group’s website 50 per cent savings.
Timur Senturk, PPHG’s vice president, operations, ASEAN, said: “With many large-scale celebratory events planned throughout the year, we see SG50 as a great opportunity to heighten awareness and excitement of Singapore.
“We will be unveiling more rooms and dining promotions throughout the year that can be enjoyed by both Singaporeans and visitors to the country,” he added.
Over at the Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore, a new Celebrate Singapore, Celebrate You room package was rolled out at the beginning of the year “to leverage the jubilant nationwide atmosphere”, said Andreas Kohn, director of sales & marketing, The Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore.
Kohn said: “To date, the performance of our Celebrate Singapore, Celebrate You room package has exceeded the projected annual number of room nights. In the month of August alone, the total number of bookings for the month outperformed the total number of bookings in the preceding seven months of the year.
“This is likely attributed to the four-day National Day jubilee weekend which made it an additional incentive for locals to book a staycation at our hotel in order to enjoy the fireworks and fringe festivities in the Marina Bay area,” Kohn explained.
