Singapore Tourism Board pleased with Step Out! Singapore results

The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) today thanked the estimated 1.4 million people who took part in the two-month long Step Out! Singapore programme, which comprised attractive offers, value-adds and an exciting line-up of events and activities throughout the months of May and June. The participation figure represents almost half of Singapore's entire population over the age of 15.

Launched at the beginning of May 2003, the S$2 million Step Out! Singapore programme was an initiative by STB to stimulate domestic tourism. The programme encouraged Singaporeans and residents to step out of their homes and get back to living life with appropriate precautionary measures against SARS. The Step Out! Singapore programme contributed to an increase of about S$50 million in economic spin-offs for tourism-related businesses in May. The programme gained even more momentum in June and we therefore expect the increase in  total economic spin-offs for tourism-related businesses over May and June to be close to our target of S$100 million.

Commenting on the success of the Step Out! Singapore programme, Mr Lim Neo Chian, Deputy Chairman and Chief Executive of STB said:

"We are really pleased to know that the public greatly supported the Step Out! Singapore programme. It shows what the community in Singapore can achieve when everyone works together, and their participation provided a strong sign of confidence in the tourism industry during a difficult time. We would like to say a big thank you to all the participants of the Step Out! Singapore programme, our industry partners and all Singaporeans." 

"We would also like to extend a big thank you to the industry as a whole and to the relevant government agencies for their cooperation with us on Step Out! Singapore,'' added Mr Lim.

According to an ACNielsen research survey commissioned by STB and conducted between 16 and 20 June, of the estimated 1.4 million people who took part in Step Out! Singapore, 66 per cent or over 900,000 people participated in more than one activity organised in conjunction with the programme.

Precautionary measures against SARS were also put in place during the Step Out! Singapore events to encourage the public to have fun in a socially responsible manner. 97% of Step Out! Singapore participants surveyed by ACNielsen were reported to be comfortable with the precautionary measures taken by the organisers and establishments.

Participation figures are based on a commissioned ACNielsen survey of Step Out! Singapore. The survey was conducted randomly with a sample size of 1,000 people, aged 15 and above, and the results are reflective of the entire Singapore population. The survey found that 47% of the 1,000 people surveyed had taken part in at least one Step Out! Singapore event/activity. This percentage was then extrapolated to the general population, ie 47% of 3.075 million (survey base of adult population over 15 estimated from Department of Statistics data) = 1.44 million people.

Increase in Traffic and Sales

In addition, feedback received by STB from several establishments from the entertainment, F&B, hotels and hospitality sectors as well as the various tourist attractions taking part in the Step Out! Singapore programme have indicated encouraging increases in traffic and sales during May and June. These include:

· Local visitorship at the Jurong Bird Park increased an average of 223% for the months of May and June over April.

· The number of local visitors to the Zoo rose an average of 179% for May and June over April; the Night Safari, by 165%.

· The Underwater World Singapore experienced an average of 100% increase in local visitor attendance for the months of May and June over April.

· The Singapore Arts Festival achieved overall house attendance of 74.8%, and together with its core, Kidsfest and outreach programmes, attracted the participation of a total of 348,525 people, an increase of 25.8% from the year before. The festival ran from 30 May to 22 June.

· The PC Show attracted 387,000 people between 5 and 8 June and generated estimated revenues of S$6.8 million.

· Other events such as the Play! Singapore Picnic by the Park (30 May to 29 June) attracted up to 76,000 people, while Wildlife @ Orchard drew 75,000 people from 20 -29 June.

· Events such as the sell-out Sally Yeh and George Lam concert on 24 May drew 9,000 people, while some 18,000 people attended the outdoor Starlight Cinema event from 4 to 22 June.

· Sales in Little India from 23 May to 28 June, as well as the Grand Shoppers Draw in Little India, generated at least S$3.2 million.

· Average weekend figures for the Chinatown Food Street increased by 43.5% in May over April.

· Local tour companies such as Farmosa Tours attracted a total of over 7,000 Singaporeans and expatriates in May and June, after joining the Step Out! Singapore programme.

· Orchard Road Business Association (ORBA) members who took part in Step Out! Singapore reported a rise in traffic by up to 30% in May over April.

· The Baywatch Association reported that the Celebrate Life on the Bay promotions (7-31 May) helped to boost traffic for retail and F&B outlets in the Marina Bay area by up to 30% in May over April.

· Food and beverage establishments who participated in the programme reported on average a 20% increase in sales for the months of May and June over April. For example, Igors saw full bookings during this period and Patara Restaurant reported increases in sales of up to 25%.

Background on Step Out! Singapore

The Step Out! Singapore programme was launched on 6 May 2003 with the aim of stimulating domestic tourism at the height of the SARS crisis. The S$2 million programme, comprising attractive offers, value-adds and an exciting line up of events in May and June, also aimed to encourage  Singaporeans to step out of their homes and have fun in a socially responsible manner.

Step Out! Singapore was an important building block of the longer-term tourism recovery plan. The programme was built on the premise that the return to normalcy and vibrancy in the local scene is a pre-condition for the return of leisure travellers to Singapore.

The programme ran from early May to end June.