Singapore Rebranding for '04

The Singapore Tourism Board will soon announce a rebranding campaign as part of its effort to lure tourists and the meetings, incentive and corporate events (MICE) industry back to the island in the wake of the SARS crisis.
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Preliminary details of the rebranding effort, to be formally launched in January, will become available this month, and will complement the ongoing Singapore Roars campaign, which includes a variety of special discounts, events and offers aimed at the MICE market.
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"I would say we are back on track," says Gerald Lee, chief of business operations of the Singapore Tourism Board. He says general tourism in August was up to 90 percent of 2002's numbers, and the Board is starting to see rebooking of the corporate meetings and other groups that indefinitely postponed travel to Singapore during the SARS outbreak.
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Along with special deals to the general public and financial support for local vendors hurt by SARS, the Singapore Tourism Board has a MICE Industry Incentive Plan that offers financial support for destination management companies, MICE-specific travel agents, and corporate end-users who actually book events. In most cases, an event must use a minimum of 300 room-nights to qualify, and the size and time of year also affect the level of financial assistance available.