Singapore has once again maintained its position as Asia’s Top Convention City for 10 years running, according to the latest Global Rankings by the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA). In addition, Singapore has retained its spot as the only Asian city in the Top Five Convention Cities in the World alongside Vienna, Barcelona, Paris and Berlin, since 2006…
Singapore has once again maintained its position as Asia’s Top Convention City for 10 years running, according to the latest Global Rankings by the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA). In addition, Singapore has retained its spot as the only Asian city in the Top Five Convention Cities in the World alongside Vienna, Barcelona, Paris and Berlin, since 2006.
The accolade comes after a stellar year for Singapore tourism as the country welcomed a record high 13.2 million visitors, exceeding its forecast range of 12–13 million. The number of business visitors rose to 3.2 million, an increase of 2.6 per cent from 2010, and forming 24 per cent of total visitorship to Singapore. Expenditure by these business visitors also rose by 4.1 per cent to an estimated SGD 5.6 billion, contributing approximately 25 per cent of total tourism receipts.
There was also robust performance in the Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Exhibitions (MICE) industry, which saw a 46 per cent year-on-year growth[2] in the number of conventions, conferences and tradeshows in 2011. Key events also demonstrated strong growth with increased attendance and participation.
Ms Neeta Lachmandas, Assistant Chief Executive of the Singapore Tourism Board (STB), commented, “We are proud that we have maintained our appeal to global businesses as a premier hub in the Asia Pacific region. Our success can be attributed to several factors: a vibrant eco-system that nurtures business events of exceptional quality, the dynamic growth in Asia, and most importantly, the dedication of our MICE industry partners.”
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