Business Daily from THE HINDU group of publications
Tuesday, Mar 11, 2008
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version
Business Daily from THE HINDU group of publications Tuesday, Mar 11, 2008 ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version |
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Marketing
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Strategy Web Extras - Tourism Singapore Tourism eyes Indian firms to grow its MICE segment Purvita Chatterjee Mumbai, March 10 The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) is all set to lure Indian corporates and grow its MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences & Exhibitions) segment. New attractions such as the world’s largest observation wheel — the Singapore Flyer — and the inaugural Formula One Grand Prix in September 2008 are being highlighted as the two new additions in the island State. According to Ms Nimisha Mirani, Assistant Manager MICE, Singapore Tourism Board, “Singapore has become Asia’s number-1 family destination and India had a major role to play in this. Last year, 7,49,000 Indians visited Singapore, making India the fourth largest source market for the island nation. Leisure travel, being able to capture a larger audience, is definitely growing at a faster pace. Business travel, meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions (BTMICE) make up about 30 per cent of the total.” In the recent past, Indian companies such as Nicholas Piramal, Tata Mutual fund, Asian Paints and Cipla have been awarding their employees with incentive-based packages. Outlining some of the destinations for MICE travellers, Ms Mirani adds, “For MICE, STB has in place an incentive scheme, BE (Business Events) in Singapore to help Indian corporates to stage and/or expand their meetings, incentive trips, conventions and exhibitions in Singapore. The BE in Singapore scheme offers customised non-financial and financial support to business event organisers, corporations and associations, and will allow the corporates to go through a myriad extraordinary experiences, from exclusive gala dinners to teambuilding activities.”
Recently, the visa free transit facility was added, enabling easy visas for Indians travelling to Singapore. Under this, Indian nationals who are in transit from a third country by air will be eligible for a 96-hour visa free transit facility if they have an onward ticket with the flight leaving within the next 96 hours. Added Ms Mirani, “We find that there are several types of MICE travellers from India. Companies, as part of their HR policy, send top performing staff to Singapore where they are guaranteed fun-filled and memorable experiences. Then there are companies with a dealer network and again top performers visit Singapore as we have a wide range of attractions that suit different preferences. Corporates who want a hassle-free and efficient meeting would pick Singapore as the choice location due to the availability of sound infrastructure and world class accommodation. “ Betting on tourism as one of its major revenue generators, STB has targeted 10.8 million visitor arrivals for 2008 with countries like Indonesia, China and India contributing in a big way to its tourism industry. More Stories on : Strategy | Tourism
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