STB Launches Visitors’ Centre In Chennai

Prompted by the growing number of Indian tourists visiting the country, the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) has launched the Singapore Visitors Centre (SVC) in one of the city's most prominent malls. This marks the Board's first such venture in India. The Centre, which has been operational since the end of February, is aimed at creating top-of-the-mind awareness about tourism in Singapore, said Briget Goh, area director - southern and eastern India. With India ranked seventh in terms of tourist arrivals to Singapore and Indian tourists being the fourth highest spenders, the Board is undoubtedly recognising the immense outbound potential of the country. The SVC which will cater to all four southern states is meant to provide customer service support to Chennai visitors.

"While the number of visitors from the north and south of India is equally divided, Chennai stands as the number one in arrival figures," said Goh. One of the reasons for this, she believes, is the changing lifestyle of people in south India, where travel is becoming high priority. A mega-event, showcasing uniquely Singapore’s experiences, has already been held at the centre - for two days, Chennai was witness to a lion dance performance to a calligraphy demo.

As far as India is concerned, STB is mainly targeting young professional visitors with aspirational lifestyle needs and high disposable incomes. The Board is also encouraging companies to look at corporate training in Singapore and is offering incentives for conferences, executive programmes and so forth. Singapore is also being re-branded as not just a leisure destination, but also a vibrant centre for education and a gateway hub of the world. An increasing number of Indian students are flocking to Singapore for higher studies, evidenced in the jam-packed education fairs that are hosted in India. According to Goh, the new office in Chennai aims to "better address the needs of the tourists, and make Singapore a more accessible destination to the visitor." Further, the STB has set up shop in the south to partner more closely with travel agencies, airlines and travel facilitators in the region.