Singapore tourism-latest updates

I was one of the first few Indians to visit Gardens by the Bay last year (July 2012) when it was launched and probably the first Indian blogger to blog about it. [Read the post o 'Gardens by the Bay' here]

Recently got to attended a media event conducted by Singapore tourism board, wherein more information about Singapore, its last year performance and future plans were revealed to the gathering.

This post shares some interesting information about Singapore tourism and its future plans, sourced from above event.

From the left: Mr Kennet Er, COO, Gardens by the Bay, Mr Change Chee Pey, Executive Director, STB, Mr Srithar, Area Director, South Asia

Singapore Tourism 2012 performance summary
As briefed by Mr Chang Chee Pey, Executive Director, South Asia, Middle East and Africa, Singapore Tourism Board, below are the numbers

• 14.4 million tourists visited Singapore during 2012 (one of them was me, I'm not sure how they differentiated between Business and leisure travelers). This is Singapore's best ever number, more than twice the number they had in 2003
• This also means a revenue of 23 billion Singapore dollars in 2012 from tourism related activities (18.52 billion USD), 3 times the 2003 numbers (Again, few of these dollars were mine!)
• Indonesia,China and neighboring Malaysia form top 3 countries from where tourists come from. India is No 5 on this chart
• However Indians are No 4 in spending money in Singapore. One interesting fact I noted that Indians spend 34% of their tour budget on accommodation, while Chinese spend only 18%. Either Chinese people have lots of relatives in Singapore or are getting better hotel deals. On the other hand, Indians spend only 21% on shopping, while Chinese spend over 52%. (Note: Singapore is one of the expensive cities for Accommodation. The cheapest deal at Marina Bay Sands was SGD 249 last year, now it is SGD 339 onwards) 
• Indians are one of the primary targets for tourism and Singapore tourism board has tied up with Make My Trip, Kuoni, Thomas Cook and few other travel agencies to boost tourism inflow to Singapore. Customized ad campaigns, like the ones featuring an Indian family - kids leading their parents in Gardens by the Bay- have been launched.
• More than 40000 seats are offered between India and Singapore every week with 430 flights operated by 8 different carriers

Singapore's recently added tourism attractions

• Marina Bay Cruise centre: Opened in October 2012, Marina Bay Cruise Centre is capable of handling world's largest cruise ship. This would boost cruise tourism
• Gardens by the Bay:  Opened in June 2012 (June 28th to be precise), is a massive garden with super trees, fauna and flora from around the world.
• Changi's budget terminal has been demolished and new terminal is coming up
• Singapore Grand Prix formula 1 race track

Singapore's upcoming tourism attractions

• Bay East and Bay Central; These are two more gardens similar to existing Gardens by the Bay (Bay South), expected to be completed in another 2 years
• River Safari: Soft launch in April 2013- allows visitors to experience world's popular rivers in one place
• Giant Panda Forest

What I didn't know about Gardens by the Bay
Learnt the following from Mr Kennet Er, COO, Gardens by the Bay

• Flower Dome and Cloud Forest uses the energy generated by bio waste
• Only occupied areas are cooled, hence reducing energy consumption
• Almost every fortnight performances and cultural events are conducted in Gardens by the Bay now.
• If you're rich enough, you can have your wedding or other personal event in the Gardens by the Bay campus.

Other notes

• No plans to relax visas for Indian tourists (like Visa on arrival etc)
• I asked Srithar if the claim of being "Southern most point of Contiental Asia" at Sentosa is true. He said "Yes" [Read more]
• Singapore is facing constraints in terms of man power and land.
• Singapore aims to be a city in the garden, not gardens inside a city.
• Unlike Thailand, Singapore can be explored on one's own, without needing any tour guide
• When asked "Why you've not mentioned much about Changi, which is an attraction on its own", the tourism board officials said "They tend to keep the people inside the airport, we aim to bring them out and make them spend in the city!"

Read my other Singapore posts here