Singapore beckons with top business and leisure attractions

It requires strategic vision and a deft balancing act for any city to combine the roles of regional financial hub, leader in tech innovation and respected centre of higher education.

But that is a feat Singapore continues to perform, while also showing the rest of Asia what it takes to keep a fast-paced metropolis functioning effectively without the modern blights of traffic gridlock, contaminated air, or the poverty of an urban underclass.

Taken together, those factors explain the city’s widespread appeal for business executives, entrepreneurs, environmental crusaders, and those looking to excel in different areas of academia.

But, beyond that, it is a whole range of other features, from world-class events and high-octane thrills to museums, restaurants, resort islands, beaches and rainforest walks that underpin a vibrant tourism sector and keep visitors returning time and again.

“Our strategies are focused on driving quality tourism based on unique attributes,” says Etienne Ng, area director of southern China, Hong Kong and Macau, for the Singapore Tourism Board. “The model emphasises economic contribution, innovation within a competitive sector, and engaging local residents too.”

One key to enhancing the city’s attractions as a destination has been to ensure a steady pipeline of leisure and business “products”. It was also important to adopt a marketing approach which Ng describes as visitor-centric and yield-driven.

“This is anchored in reaching out to the right audiences, at the right time and using the right channels, with the Singapore story we want to tell,” Ng says.