STB Middle East Trade Workshop

According to the STB, Singapore welcomed 15.1 visitors in 2014, down 3% from the previous year.  Tourism receipts remained flat at $23.6 billion.  On a brighter note, tourism receipts per capita increased 4% to $1,561.  Visitor days also increased 3.4% to 56 million days and average length of stay increased 6% from 3.5 days to 3.7 days.    

Visitors from West Asia (including Iran, Israel, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and UAE) number 170,154, an increase of 8.5% over the previous year.  Specifically, UAE’s numbers were the highest in West Asia at 75,742, an increase of 4.4%.  It is said that the key purpose of travel is medical tourism; everyone would know at least someone who has been to Singapore for medical treatment.  The industry is also looking towards Iran now that sanctions have been lifted, as Iran’s population is more than 50% of the West Asia market.

At the STB Middle East Trade Workshop on Sunday 17 April 2016, Area Director Middle East & Africa Mr Mohamed Firhan said that STB is stepping up its marketing efforts with the trade in the region.  There was a lapse of contact with the industry for the past few years, but they are ramping up the trade events and roadshows in the past 1-2 years again.

It was also highlighted that while Dubai consumers may deem Singapore to be an expensive destination, in reality, we need a perspective change.  Instead of comparing Singapore to our South-east Asian neighbours like Malaysia and Thailand who may be cheaper, we should compare Singapore with cities like Tokyo, London and New York, where our destination offerings are similar.  We want to sell our shopping and dining experiences, which are on par with places in Tokyo, London and New York.  UAE consumers have no qualms spending for example, six nights in luxury in London, so they should compare Singapore with those prices and experiences.  We want to show the consumers that Singapore has a range of food and dining experiences, from the affordable like food centres to the high-end like celebrity chef restaurants, from shopping at marketplaces to designer wear at Orchard Road.

At the tradeshow, STB offered its Middle East trade partners a glimpse into Singapore via the Samsung 360 virtual reality camera that offers users a 360 panoramic view of the city’s attractions.  Many of the trade loved the gadget and were amazed at the realistic city views.  They especially loved places like Sentosa and the gardens such as Gardens by the Bay (Cloud Forest) and Botanic Gardens (newly minted UNESCO site since July 2015).  This could be due to the lack of lush greenery in Dubai, unlike Singapore’s tropical rainforest climate.     

Some tools for the trade shared included the STB Content Hub with more 20,000 images and videos at https://www.stbcontenthub.com/.

Following the trade workshop in Dubai, the fifteen companies comprising delegates from hotels, tour operators, airline (SQ), shopping mall (ION Orchard) and integrated resort (RWS) from Singapore and UAE will continue to roadshows in Kuwait, Qatar and Iran.  

welcome dinner for delegates

Presentation by STB

Presentation by SQ