Singapore's 18th Tourism Awards Promote Unique Experiential Factors

To encourage the tourism industry to create unique experiences and distinctive service elements to ensure Singapore's competitiveness, the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) has placed greater emphasis on innovation, creativity and experiential factors in its 18th Tourism Awards.

Some of the awards have been renamed to emphasise the experiential factors, while five new categories with a total of 10 additional awards have been introduced this year. The new categories are, Most Promising Tourism Star, Most innovative Marketing Effort (Airline/ Foreign Tour Operator), Best Spa Experience, and Best Singapore Travel Experience (Western/ASEAN/ North Asia/ China). For the first time also, two Special Recognition Awards will also be presented in recognition of the leadership and contributions of individuals who have helped the tourism industry through challenging times.

Mr Wee Ee-chao, Chairman of the STB said: "As we face an increasingly competitive tourism landscape, and as our visitors become more discerning and sophisticated, we must provide a unique blend of experiences that our visitors will find irresistible. We cannot simply do more of the same, we must be resolute about creating truly unique and distinctive experiences for Singapore to stand out from the crowd. We hope that the achievements of our 'Tourism Stars' will inspire and motivate each and every one of us to innovate our products and services, and transform our service culture."

The Tourism Awards presentation ceremony held today at The Sentosa Ferry Terminal was graced by the President of Singapore, His Excellency S R Nathan, and Mrs S R Nathan. About 400 Singapore and overseas members from the travel and tourism industry attended the event. Awards were presented to the hotel, leisure attraction, food and beverage, entertainment, spa, and retail sectors, as well as foreign and local travel agencies. Visitors, public and tourism industry members nominated individuals and organisations for 20 of these awards. The number of awards has grown to 24 from 21 last year.

This year's awards received a record response of more than 300,000 local and foreign nominations, a three-fold jump over the previous year. The awards honour the 'Stars of Tourism' who have made significant contributions towards enhancing Singapore's status as a premier tourism destination in 2003.

The Most Promising Tourism Star award went to Mr Edwin Choo, Owner & Operator, The InnCrowd Bunk & Brekkie, for his pioneering efforts in building a vibrant hostel scene in Singapore, serving the needs of backpackers, and enhancing Singapore's appeal to an increasingly important backpacker market. Through this new award, the STB is aiming to recognise promising young entrepreneurs who have displayed enterprising qualities and vision. By recognising these players, the Board said it hopes to encourage more young entrepreneurs to join the tourism industry, and break new ground to help grow the industry into a key driver of economic growth. 

Mr Mustaq Ahmad, Managing Director, Mohamed Mustafa & Samsuddin Co Pte Ltd clinched the Tourism Entrepreneur of the Year award. Through his vision, passion and steadfastness, he has forged ahead and revolutionised the retail scene in Singapore with the launch of Mustafa's '24-hour shopping' concept. Mr Mustaq Ahmad has proved that the retail sector in Singapore can thrive with innovation and creativity.

This year's Outstanding Contribution to Tourism award went to the "Singapore Girl" for placing Singapore on the world map, and her consistent contribution towards making Singapore a world-renowned destination over the past 30 years.

A Special Recognition award has been presented to both Ms Kay Kuok, Executive Chairman of Singapore's Shangri-La Hotel, and Mr Robert W Guy, Managing Director of Pacific World Destination Management (S) Pte. Ltd., in recognition of their contributions in tackling the SARS crisis. As the co-chair of the COOL team, a joint task force comprising government and private organisations, Ms Kay Kuok provided strong leadership and played a key role in pushing for the implementation of the COOL Singapore Awards, Step Out! Singapore and Singapore Roars!. These initiatives not only minimised the impact of SARS on businesses but also staged a rapid recovery for the tourism industry. During the SARS crisis, Mr Robert W Guy demonstrated strong leadership, innovativeness and responsiveness in setting up the 'Singapore Can-Lah!' communications working group to restore visitor's confidence in Singapore.

Four of the winners tonight have won in previous years. Having won a total of five awards over the years, Takashimaya Shopping Centre clinched the Most Memorable Shopping Experience - Shopping Centre award, while Robinson & Co bagged the Most Memorable Shopping Experience - Retail Outlet award this year. The Night Safari has won the Best Leisure Experience award for the fifth time, while the Four Seasons Hotel Singapore bagged its third Best Accomodation Experience award.

Mr Tommy Ong Chuan Seng of Sovereign by Yellow-Top Cab Pte Ltd, was honoured with the Tourism Host of the Year - Transport (Taxi) for the second time, while Ms June Guai Chian Ee of the Jurong BirdPark is the Tourism Host of the Year - Leisure Attraction, having won a merit award for the same category in 2000.