Singapore’s success as a favorite convention destination arises from a combination of key elements. These elements are language, facilities and destination attraction (Stephen & Connell, 289). These three factors will be addressed in this paper in relation to how they make Singapore stand out. It will give suggestions on how other Asian destinations can learn from Singapore. Additionally, the paper will examine some of the barriers that other Asian destinations are facing in trying to compete with Singapore.
Singapore has been named as Asia’s top convention city for ten years in a row by the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA). This is testament to the consistency of the conference and convention product provided by Singapore as a destination. The first reason why Singapore has taken control of this tourism segment is the facilities provided. Singapore has a number of hotels and dedicated exhibition centers that both small and large conventions.
Examples include the Singapore Expo Convention and Exhibition Centre, Raffles City convention Centre and Resort World-Sentosa (Stephen & Connell, 293). Secondly, the people of Singapore understand and speak English more easily that their Asian neighbors. This makes communication and interaction between locals and visitors smooth. Lastly, visitors have a host of activities to engage in and destinations to visit after their meeting and conferences are over. Visitors can enjoy the cultural diversity of the city, dine, shop, sight see and even sample the nightlife in one of the world’s safest cities (Stephen & Connell, 299).
Other countries in Asia such as China equally have a rich cultural product. However these destinations have problems of pollution, crowded cities, poor transportation systems and language barrier. To compete with Singapore, these countries will have to reinvent their destinations to suit international standards and demands for efficiency, accessibility and environmental conservation.
Work cited
Page, Stephen, and Joanne Connell. Tourism: A Modern Synthesis. London [u.a.: Thomson,
2007. Print.
