S'pore launches tourism campaigns in Indonesia
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) is leading its biggest ever sales mission to Indonesia in a bid to drum up more business in the coming months.
The mission involves 60 delegates from 40 tourism organizations, including hotels and travel agencies.
The mission, which arrived Tuesday and will stay in the country until Friday, will update industry partners in Jakarta and Surabaya on the latest developments and products in Singapore.
Indonesia is the largest market for Singapore's tourism industry, with 1.3 million Indonesian visitors last year, the board said in a statement.
The members of the delegation hope to develop special packages and tours with their counterparts in Indonesia to entice more Indonesians to Singapore.
For instance, special packages on the arts could be developed, given the focus on arts in Singapore this year, including a raft of exciting art and entertainment shows in the next few months.
Tourism events to be held in the city state in the coming months include the inauguration of the new Merlion Park on Sept. 15, the Mid Autumn Festival from Sept. 14 to 21, and Celebration Singapore from Nov. 11 to Feb. 15 next year.
Celebration Singapore is a campaign combining many exciting festivities that Singapore celebrates such as Lebaran, Christmas and the Chinese New Year.
"These events depict Singapore's multi-cultural make-up and have a strong appeal with the family market, a key target segment, in Indonesia," Aloysius Orlando, the leader of the Singapore delegation and STB's regional director for ASEAN and Africa, said.
Another main event is the opening of the Esplanade - Theaters on the Bay, Singapore's premier performing arts center on Oct. 12.
The official launch will be followed by a three-week opening festival involving 1,300 artists from 22 countries performing in 70 productions and more than 600 free outdoor events.
One of the major highlights is the world premiere of "Reminiscing the Moon" by renowned Indonesian choreographer, Boi G. Sakti, to be performed by the Singapore Dance Theater.