Dennis Foo Presented with Lifetime Achievement Award

 The cream of the crop of Singapore’s tourism received top accolades at the Singapore Experience Awards 2010 in a gala presentation ceremony, held Thursday evening at the Shangri-La hotel.

A total of 30 awards were presented to individuals and organisations spanning a wide range of the tourism sector – from retail to hospitality, from dining to attractions, from healthcare to the meetings industry.

This year’s event saw the introduction of three new awards - Best Healthcare Experience, Best Education Experience and Best Enrichment Experience. The inaugural winners of these categories were Parkway Hospitals, PSB Academy, and the Science Centre, respectively. Previous winners like The Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore, the Night Safari, and Suntec Singapore International Convention & Exhibition Centre also took top honours, underscoring the consistency in their quality service delivery.

The Customer Service category - the one category with public nominations - saw strong competition this year with an increase of some 30% in the number of nominations received. This growth in interest points to a growing awareness and appreciation of service qualityamongst the general public. At the same time, it is a strong signal to businesses and frontline service providers to deliver on customer expectations.

Ms Aw Kah Peng, Singapore Tourism Board’s Chief Executive said, “It is vital that Singapore’s tourism industry continues to embody the spirit of innovation, passion, and creativity. Each year, the Singapore Experience Awards allows us to recognise and celebrate individuals and organizations who are moving Singapore’s tourism sector forward. The winners exemplify the passion and commitment which are needed for Singapore to deliver winning and compelling visitor experiences. Ultimately, this is what will set Singapore apart as the global destination of choice.”

The evening’s festivities culminated with the announcement of the winners for the most prestigious awards of the night under the Outstanding Contribution category. The three awards in this category are a special tribute to individuals who have distinguished themselves and left an indelible mark on Singapore’s tourism landscape. The highest of these awards is “The Lifetime Achievement for Outstanding Contribution to Tourism Award”. This award distinguishes truly exceptional individuals whose outstanding contributions and vision have consistently influenced the face of tourism in Singapore.

This year, the Lifetime Achievement for Outstanding Contribution to Tourism award went to Mr Dennis Foo, CEO of St James Holdings Ltd, for his foresight and dedication of commitment to the future of Singapore’s tourism. The Business Event Ambassador award was presented to Professor B.V.R. Chowdari of the Materials Research Society of Singapore for his significant contributions to the development of the business events industry in Singapore. Cited as having exhibited outstanding innovative talents and entrepreneurship was Mr Edward Chia, Managing Director and Danny Loong, Chief Creative Director, both from Timbre Group Pte Ltd. and joint winners of the Tourism Entrepreneur of the Year award.

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