Europe growth strategy in place for S’pore tourism

SINGAPORE – 2008 will see Singapore Tourism Board (STB) Europe planning to spend 50 percent more on marketing in countries such as France, Spain, Italy and Switzerland. While the effects of these activities will be seen largely over the medium- to long-term, the STB still expects 2008 visitor arrivals from Europe to grow by at least three per cent.

Currently with offices in London and Frankfurt, the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) is set to officially open another full-fledged office in Moscow, Russia by mid 2008. The STB aims to broaden the base for growth by increasing trade activities in France, Italy, Spain and Switzerland while maintaining strong presence in Germany, Russia and the United Kingdom.

STB will also be targeting to increase travel during off-peak periods. Currently, Russians are more used to travelling to Asia in the winter months. STB’s Moscow office will not only be working in-market to encourage Russians to continue travelling out to warmer regions such as Singapore at the end of the year, but also to venture out throughout the year to explore Singapore and the region.

With increased media interest in Asia, the STB will also be upping the number of media familiarisation groups so that key European media can experience Singapore first hand.

Singapore welcomed record growth in the number of visitors from Europe. Close to 1.3 million European visitors travelled to the lion city in 2007 – a growth of 4.6 percent over 2006.