Singapore aims
to strengthen Meetings & Incentive Group travel from India, organises MICE
seminar
-
STB India organised a thought
leadership MICE seminar and trade engagement event to bring together industry
stalwarts for discussion on enhancing the MICE travel experience for corporates
Mumbai, 14 January,
2019:
With a track record of hosting Asia’s most prominent
events, Singapore continues to deliver innovative solutions for the transfer of
knowledge, ideas and connections to drive new possibilities for the Meetings,
Incentive, Conventions and Exhibitions (MICE) sector in Singapore. Singapore
has been recognised by the World Bank as one of the easiest places in the world
to do business (Doing Business 2018 Report, World Bank) and was named the Best
BTMICE City at the prestigious TTG Travel Awards in 2018. While Singapore had welcomed
2.46 million BTMICE visitors in 2017, the city saw 1.3 million BTMICE visitors
in the first half of 2018.
Kicking off its first MICE-focused
event for 2019 in India, the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) organised a MICE
thought leadership seminar in Mumbai with the theme “Meetings & Incentive
Travel to Singapore – Forging New Possibilities”. The programme included a
keynote presentation by Mr. Gokul Bajaj, Head of Sales and Partnerships at
Cvent, a leading cloud-based enterprise event management platform with
solutions to optimise the entire event management value chain. A panel
discussion followed on the topic of “How can the MICE industry leverage
technology to better engage their audience?”. Mr Gokul Bajaj, Ms. Aikta Tyagi,
Vice President & Head of Special Events at Amway India, Mr. SD Nandakumar,
President & Country Head - B2B for SOTC Travel Ltd formed the panel. The
discussion was moderated by Mr. GB Srithar, Regional Director (South Asia,
Middle East and Africa), Singapore Tourism Board.
A team building activity focusing on
Lego Serious Play, conducted by Mr Ludovic Odier, the CEO of Outdoor in Asia, highlighted
innovative, high impact and experiential team engagement activities possible in
Singapore for M&I travellers. The attendees were updated on new MICE venues,
incentive schemes provided by the STB and diverse and exciting array of experiences
available in Singapore for M&I groups. The programme was well attended with
150 Indian travel agents and 40 Singapore stakeholders representing hotels,
airlines, attractions, Destination Management Companies (DMC) and cruise
operators.
Speaking on STB’s efforts to showcase
Singapore as a destination of choice among the MICE travellers, GB Srithar, Regional
Director (South Asia, Middle East and Africa), Singapore Tourism Board said, “India
continues to be a key source market for MICE travellers to Singapore. Thanks to
the support of trade intermediaries and corporates, we have witnessed a healthy
growth in M&I visitor-ship over the past few years. This thought leadership
MICE Seminar is relevant, as many in the M&I space are contemplating the
role of technology in enhancing their groups’ travel experiences and programme.
The trade engagement event enabled Indian travel trade to exchange ideas and
deepen relationships with the Singapore tourism partners. We look forward to
inviting and delighting a good number of M&I groups to Singapore this
year.”
Considering all
travellers, including MICE, from January to November 2018, Singapore welcomed
1.32 million Indian visitors, a 14.4% increase over the same period in 2017.
India continues to be Singapore’s third largest visitor arrivals source market.
About
Singapore Tourism Board
The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) is
the lead development agency for tourism, one of Singapore’s key economic
sectors. Together with industry partners and the community, we shape a dynamic
Singapore tourism landscape. We bring the Passion Made Possible brand to life
by differentiating Singapore as a vibrant destination that inspires people to
share and deepen their passions. For more information, visit www.stb.gov.sg or
www.visitsingapore.com or follow us on Twitter @STB_sg
(https://twitter.com/stb_sg).