Singapore Tourism Board
Agency overview
Formed1 January 1964 (1964-01-01) (as Singapore Tourist Promotion Board)
19 November 1997 (1997-11-19) (as Singapore Tourism Board)
JurisdictionGovernment of Singapore
HeadquartersTourism Court, 1 Orchard Spring Lane, Singapore 247729
Agency executives
  • Chaly Mah, Chairman[1]
  • Keith Tan, CEO[2]
Parent agencyMinistry of Trade and Industry
Websitewww.stb.gov.sg

The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) is a statutory board under the Ministry of Trade and Industry of the Government of Singapore, tasked to promote the country's tourism industry.

History

Tourism Court at Orchard Spring Lane, the headquarters of Singapore Tourism Board
Singapore Visitors Centre along Orchard Road, providing tourism information for tourists in Singapore.

The board was first established on 1 January 1964 and was called the Singapore Tourist Promotion Board (Abbreviation: STPB).[3] In that year, there were 91,000 visitors. The primary task of STPB was to coordinate the efforts of hotels, airlines and travel agents to develop the fledgling tourism industry of the country.

Later, STPB began to initiate new marketing ideas to promote Singapore's image abroad. The board created the Merlion, a symbol based on a Singapore mythical legend, that became an icon of the Singapore destination. The board has also been providing travel agent licensing and tourist guide training.

STPB actively promoted the development of infrastructure, including the building of hotels and tourist attractions such as the Jurong Bird Park and Sentosa which is now a popular resort island for both tourists and local visitors. The board also markets the city as a convention venue and organises events to attract visitors.

In the 1980s, several historic and culturally significant areas such as Chinatown, Little India and Kampong Glam were earmarked for preservation. These places express Singapore's cultural diversity and became popular tourist destinations. The Singapore River underwent a major cleanup program and the areas along the river were developed for restaurants and other tourist amenities.

The board was renamed as Singapore Tourism Board on 19 November 1997.

Past Chairmen

  • Mr Chew Choon Seng

Past CEOs

  • Lim Neo Chian
  • Mr Lionel Yeo

Mission

Aerial Panorama of Merlion Park and its surrounds

The board now oversees all aspects of tourism, including resource allocation and long-term strategic planning. It establishes offices around the globe to actively market the Singapore destination.

In the short term, the Singapore government has allocated S$905 million to STB for tourism developments until 2017. A third of this amount will be used to assist the industry to build manpower competencies through education and skills-upgrading initiatives, particularly in key areas such as conference management.[4]

Growth

Singapore tourism industry has grown rapidly since STPB was set up. In 2004, there were 8 million visitors. On 11 January 2005, Minister for Trade and Industry unveiled the Singapore Tourism Board’s (STB) targets to doubling visitor arrivals to 17 million by 2015.

In March 2010, the STB projected a 20–30% increase in visitor arrivals for the year. 2010 would see the much awaited opening of both the Marina Bay Sands and Resorts World Sentosa.[5] This coincided with other key events such as the FORMULA 1 SINGTEL SINGAPORE GRAND PRIX and the inaugural Youth Olympic Games. These offerings were expected to enhance Singapore’s status as a dynamic global city and increase visitor arrivals. The changes in Singapore's landscape would also continue beyond 2010. New developments such as the International Cruise Terminal, Gardens by the Bay and Changi Motor Sports Hub are expected to be unveiled in the coming years.[6]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Chaly Mah named as STB's new chairman". Retrieved 15 January 2017.
  2. ↑ "Chief Executive for Singapore Tourism Board to Step Down 31 May 2018" (PDF). Ministry of Trade & Industry. 14 May 2018. Retrieved 16 June 2018.
  3. ↑ "Formation of the Singapore Tourism Promotion Board". NLB. Retrieved 8 September 2019.
  4. ↑ "A new breed of MICE". TTGmice. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 1 May 2012.
  5. ↑ Channel News Asia- STB forecasts 20–30% jump in visitor arrivals this year
  6. ↑ Singapore Tourism Board Forecasts Record Numbers for 2010 and Unveils "YourSingapore" Destination Brand Archived 2011-07-17 at the Wayback Machine
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