NEW TRAVEL INITIATIVE
Singapore launches the ultimate travel experience
(eTN) BEIJING - TravelRave will be Singapore's newest travel experience for the tourism industry and according to Ms. Aw Kah Peng, chief executive of the Singapore Tourism Board, the package will be a unique combination of industry events.
“I would rather describe TravelRave as an umbrella with a series of events targeting all aspects of our industry, from tourism marketing, to hospitality, to air transport. We look [to] deeply integrate all the elements of the travel chain,” she explained during a press conference in Beijing in parallel to the WTTC Global Travel & Tourism Summit in the Chinese capital.
Endorsement is already coming from leading travel companies such as VISA, television network CNBC Asia Pacific, Corwell Nanyang Institute of Hospitality Management, and last but not least WTTC. The council’s endorsement is WTTC's recognition to Asia's fast pace of development in tourism.
“We look forward to working with the Singapore Tourism Board and other partners to develop Asia Travel Leaders Summit, which will address some of [the] issues and concerns that are specific to this region. Discussions and debates at Asia Travel Leaders Summit will help to unlock the full potential of Asia's travel and tourism," analyzed Jean-Claude Baumgarten, WTTC's president and CEO.
"The event should act as a cement for the entire travel industry. I do not think that this format will collude with other events in the region, such as PATA Travel Mart. There are already a lot of travel shows. ITB Asia is, in fact, a core element of TravelRave, and there is no way to compete internally with this event,” said Ms. Peng. “We are different, as leaders will gather to take position on topics and issues specific to Asia,” she added.
To enhance value for partipants, the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) is looking to add more events on the technology side, as well as aviation side. “We [are] look[ing] for another event in the aviation field that we should announce very soon,” added the STB chief executive.
Will the success be there? For Edward Chen, there is no doubt success is at hand. “ITB Asia attracts already 6,200 visitors and some 670 exhibitors from 70 countries. There is a demand for a high level of exchange between high-profile players of our industry,” he explained.
The initiative is also extremely beneficial for Singapore. It will help the destination to highlight its newest developments and tourism products and reinforce its leading position as Southeast Asia's premier MICE destination.
With its new integrated resorts on Sentosa Island and Marina Bay, the development of a new botanical garden (2011) and a brand new cruise terminal (end of 2011), as well as Asia’s first freshwater wildlife park near Singapore Zoo (2012), the City State continues to plan for its future. And TravelRave looks like it will turn into the best "live" advertising for the destination.
Comments
Hi Luc,
You are changing the sex of STB CEO to a female by referring to him as "Ms Aw" in the lst paragraph of your article and using the "she" pronoun in the 2nd paragraph while your pix of him shows he is a man and he is addressed here as "Mr Aw". Goes to show etn editors or sub-editors don't check the copy carefully before it is posted.
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