TWIN ACCOLADES FOR THE SINGAPORE TOURISM BOARD

Hot on the heels of the successful Fashion Festival and just after the launch of the Tourism 21 Status Review, Singapore has nabbed prestigious awards at two recent travel trade shows in Berlin and Singapore.

PATA Travel Mart - Destination of the Year

On Friday 6 April, Singapore was awarded the Destination of the Year. This award was presented at the end of the annual PATA Travel Mart, the trade show being held for the fourth year in Singapore.

The Destination of the Year award is testimony to how the Singapore Tourism Board, together with its numerous industry partners, has kept up with constant innovation and creativity to woo the savvy tourist from around the world.

Receiving the award was Mr Asad Shiraz, Senior Director Tourism Marketing. He said, "It's true we cannot rest on our laurels, especially when we recall that we are a familiar destination to many. That's why we like to surprise our visitors and the trade by constantly reinventing ourselves - whether it's upgrading favourite attractions like the Singapore Zoological Gardens or creating exciting new events like the recent Fashion Festival.

We want to tell everyone that each time they come to Singapore to live it up, they can expect something interesting!"

The Singapore Tourism Board (STB)'s Live it Up! promotion of the Lion City was launched at last year's PATA Travel Mart. The organisers of the awards, TTG Asia said, "The campaign has been tremendously successful in telling the world that besides being a safe, fun and friendly place to visit, Singapore is also a place to have a holiday of your life! With a calendar chock full of arts and special events...

Live it Up! encouraged visitors to combine these events with the many lifestyle products and services the city offers."

ITB 2001 - Best Marketing Effort - NTO

Another important award was presented just a month before, on 5 March at the ITB 2001 (Internationale Tourismus Börse), a major travel trade event held annually in Berlin. There, the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) was awarded the Best Marketing Effort ? Overall by the PATA German Chapter and Travel Weekly East.

The award was received by STB's Regional Director, Germany, Markus Lum during a lunch hosted by Messe Berlin, organisers of the ITB.

Judging for this award was not only based on representation at the event, pre-show and on-site activities but also included general marketing activities. The recipient of the award must have succeeded in putting across its products and services in a clear, creative and consistent manner.

The STB's stand at Messe Berlin Hall featured 410 square metres of garden city theme ? to highlight Singapore's success in integrating green pockets within its cityscape. This garden city image is just one aspect of the Live it Up! message which also includes projecting Singapore as a regional gateway, and a fun, arts and culture city.

"Since the launch of our new marketing campaign last year, this award is evidence that our Live it Up! in Singapore message has been successfully communicated to the travel trade industry in the sophisticated European market," said Magdalene Lee, Director Destination Marketing and Area Director Europe.

"We hope that the travel industry will continue to highlight the myriad of activities and experiences a leisure or business traveller can experience in Singapore."

The results of the Live it Up! campaign speak for themselves, with tourism receipts reaching a post-crisis high of S$11,020.9 million (US$6,160.7 million) last year, a 10.5 per cent increase over 1999, and a record high of 7.69 million visitor arrivals to Singapore, 4.2 million of whom were repeat visitors.

As STB passes the first year mark since the launch of the Live it Up! campaign, these two awards are heartening acknowledgements that the marketing initiative has made an impact in the tourism arena.