Singapore sets sights on becoming global city of arts

Singapore is out to show the world that it boasts more than just shopping centers. The Jakarta Post's reporter T. Sima Gunawan sampled the island state's cultural offerings recently at the invitation of the Singapore Tourist Promotion Board.

SINGAPORE (JP): Shopping may be the best known tourist attraction in Singapore, but you are mistaken if you think it is the only interesting thing to do in this country.

Some examples. Set off on a short jaunt not too far from the well-beaten shopping track of Orchard and Scotts. Take a cable car to Sentosa Island and explore this little island's attractions of the Underwater World and the Images of Singapore, a house displaying the fascinating history and celebrations of Singapore.

Then move to the sights and sounds of 8,000 chirpy denizens of the Jurong Bird Park. Stroll on to Little India, an area embodying the vibrant and colorful culture of the Indian community in Singapore, or Arab street, which provides an intriguing glimpse into the Moslem way of life and a wide selection of textiles from all over Asia.

Okay, message received loud and clear -- Singapore is much, much more than spotlessly clean sidewalks and cavernous shopping malls. But it boasts something else, more than just beautiful, even civilized. Civilized? Yes, for there is no better word to describe the arts.

It is on the record that Singapore wants to be a global city for the arts. Singapore is not Paris or Rome, and it is no New York or London, either. But it sells the arts and is working hard to promote art tourism.

If you happened to be in Singapore last month, a strong art atmosphere pervaded as it hosted the Festival of Asian Performing Arts from June 21 to June 27.

The accent on art will continue as the Singapore Dance Theater presents Ballet Under the Stars at the Fort Canning Park on Aug. 22-24. Every Friday and Saturday evenings the Singapore Symphony Orchestra plays at the Victoria Concert Hall, while bimonthly musical and theatrical performances are held in one of Singapore's beautifully landscaped parks under the Arts in the Park program.

Singapore began to develop art tourism in the early 1990s on the tail of its remarkable economic development.

The business of art needs wealth, and Singapore has seen marked improvement in income levels since the start of the decade. Average monthly income stood at S$1,633 (US$1,166) in 1995, up 63 percent from 1990. Almost a quarter of the workforce earned at least S$3,000 a month, up from just 8.3 percent in 1990.

In its grand strategy to become a global city for the arts, Singapore aims to serve as an art and antique trading and auction center, a theater hub in Southeast Asia and a cultural and entertainment destination, according to Mohd. Azhar, Corporate Communication Officer of the Singapore Tourist Promotion Board (STPB).

Singapore has presented world class theater productions, such as Ada, Les Miserables and Phantom of The Opera, in the last few years. Public response was encouraging. Over 163,000 tickets were sold for the Phantom of the Opera, which was staged during 12 weeks here in 1995. More than 7,700 foreigners watched Phantom, with a regional response of about 5,300.

Foreigners attending the grand operas included "young Malaysian professionals, wealthy Indonesians and Thais," according to a publication of the STPB.

Performing arts is only one element of art tourism. Singapore is also trying to attract tourists with its art galleries and museums, some of which are under renovation.

The Singapore Art Museum, originally a Catholic boys' school built in 1855, opened in January last year after a S$30 million restoration. The first art museum of international standards in Southeast Asia, it has a new wall system, comprising a light weight wall, insulation material and vapor barrier. Galleries in the museum's central building maintains a constant temperature of 23 degrees Celsius and relative humidity of 65 percent. All the lights and glass doors are UV filtered.

"We have to make sure that the paintings are well maintained," said Wong Tzu, the museum public relation officers.

Singapore has been active in inviting top art dealers to open their business here. Wetterling Teo Gallery, the first in Southeast Asia to specialize in American contemporary art, for example, opened last year upon Singapore's initiative.

Tressors, the international fine art and antiques fair showcasing some of the best dealers in the world, is held annually on an average of six days. In addition, Singapore periodically hosts auctions by Christie's and Sotheby's.

The coming Christie's auction will take place at Hyatt Regency in September.

Singapore hosted 7.29 million visitors last year, an increase of nearly 2.2 percent over the previous year. The greatest number of tourists came from Japan (1.17 million) followed by Indonesia (1.06 million), Malaysia (700,700), Taiwan (528,000) and South Korea (384,000).

The city state, which has a population of over three million, depends heavily on tourism revenue. Total tourism revenue for 1995 amounted to S$11.6 billion (US$8.28 billion).

The total visitor expenditure in 1995 was S$5,477?, with an average expenditure per visitor of S$746. More than 55 percent of the spending went on shopping, while entertainment and recreation expenses accounted for only 1.1 percent.

Last year, the average stay of the visitors was three and a half days.

"With the arts, we can persuade visitors to extend the average to four or five days," Azhar of the STPB said.