The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Singapore seeks to improve infrastructure

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Apr 07, 2007
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Singapore seeks to improve infrastructure

Staff Reporter

CHENNAI: Singapore looks to improve upon its portfolio of differentiators, which has made it the world's second-ranked city for business conventions, the Director (Business Travel and MICE), Singapore Tourism Board, Catherine McNabb said on Friday.

Addressing a curtain-raiser for the `Salaam India Expo,' scheduled between August 15 and 19 at Singapore, Ms. McNabb said the city's future plans included a new and bigger convention centre featuring world-class comforts, 2,500 hotel rooms and even a casino and increase in hotel rooms from 37,000 to 62,000 by 2015. Around 500 Indian companies are expected to showcase their products and services at the 16 B2B and B2C events, being organised concurrently by Zak Trade Fairs and Exhibitions at Singapore. An unprecedented 20,000 sqm of stall space has been earmarked for the show at Singex, which is close to the Changi airport.

According to Ms. McNabb, a waterfront aqua stage with a seating capacity of 10,000 and a flyer service, modelled on but larger than the London Flyer are the other projects aimed at the MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conventions, Exhibitions) clientele.

Singapore counted among its value propositions the availability of quality budget hotels, the most economical five-star properties, air connectivity with 83 airliners flying in and out to 183 cities across the world and world-class conventions centres in Suntec and the smaller Raffles. These value propositions, combined with the city's excellent business networking opportunities, had led most multinational companies to drop anchor in Singapore for regional operations, Ms. McNabb said.

V. Iraianbu, State Tourism Secretary, said Tamil Nadu was in the process of promoting various types of tourism, ranging from spiritual to adventure. The State was ranked third in terms of domestic arrivals and second in attracting international visitors. Tamil Nadu was a major foreign exchange earner for the country from tourism alone.

Ajit Singh, Consul-General, the Republic of Singapore, said the modalities of pressing in additional flights in the India-Singapore sector were being worked out. By June-July, more flights were expected to be introduced in the sector.

M. C. Pandey, senior director, Association of Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India said according to the projections of an ASSOCHAM study, INDO-ASEAN trade was expected to aggregate $50 billion by 2010. Syed Zakir Ahmed, chairman, Zak Trade Fairs and Exhibitions, said the Singapore event that marked the country's 60th year of Independence was the precursor to more road shows scheduled across Europe and the U.S.

M. Rajaram, chairman, Singapore Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and C. S. Muthu Subramaniyan, president, India-ASEAN-Sri Lanka Chamber of Commerce and Industry spoke.

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