Singapore Government Press Release
Media Relations Division, Ministry
of Information, Communications and the Arts,
MITA Building, 140 Hill Street, 2nd
Storey, Singapore 179369
Tel: 6837-9666
SPEECH BY DR VIVIAN BALAKRISHNAN,
MINISTER OF STATE FOR TRADE & INDUSTRY AND NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT AT THE
OPENING CEREMONY OF THE IAAPA ASIAN EXPO 2004 AT SUNTEC SINGAPORE INTERNATIONAL
CONVENTION & EXHIBITION CENTRE ON 14 JULY 2004 AT 10:00 A.M.
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Thank you for the invitation
to officiate at the opening of the 12th International
Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions ( IAAPA) Asian Expo 2004. I would like to extend a warm welcome to all
participants, especially our guests from overseas.
In recent years, the
international travel and tourism industry has faced several major challenges in
the wake of events like the SARS crisis and the Iraq war. Fortunately, global tourism has proven time
and again to be resilient, recovering robustly within months of each
setback. The fundamentals of the global
leisure business remain strong and promising.
The World Travel and Tourism Council expects
healthy growth in travel and tourism demand worldwide: 6 percent in 2004 and
4.5 percent annually over the next 10 years.
In addition, PricewaterhouseCoopers and Economics Research Associates
project annual growth of 5 percent for the global amusement and attractions
industry. More than 100 new attractions
are opening worldwide this year, and this only takes into account the amusement
and theme park sector.
Bright Prospects for
Tourism in Asia
The long-term
prospects for tourism in Asia are also bright.
This will be driven by the growth, the rising affluence and mobility of
people within the region. The growth of
tourism will also be spurred by the liberalisation of air space and lifting of
travel restrictions, emergence of low-cost carriers and increasing use of the
internet for travel information and bookings.
Against this backdrop, the World Tourism Organisation forecasts that
total visitor arrivals into Asia will grow by over 6 percent annually, from 121
million in 2001 to 416 million by 2020.
These visitors will
expect high quality tourism products and world-class attractions. We must continually strive to provide
visitors to Asia with a fulfilling and memorable experience. The results so far have been positive. For example in 2002, Asia had five of the 10
most visited amusement parks and accounted for about 42 percent of the overall
attendance at the Top 50 most popular parks in the world.
In Singapore, we
recognise the importance and growth potential of tourism in the region. Hence,
the Singapore Tourism Board has been actively attracting more tourism
investments, upgrading existing attractions and building up a wider range of
tourism products. Let me share just a few examples. The Singapore Flyer, which
will grace our skyline by mid-2006, is one of the largest investments in our
tourism sector in recent years. Jurong Bird Park just
launched the world’s largest Lory flight aviary, The Lory Loft; and the Night Safari has opened a new
Amphitheatre amongst luscious foliage and meandering streams. The developments proposed under the 10-year Sentosa Masterplan are also
gradually taking shape. This includes
new attractions like the Carlsberg Sky Tower, Singapore’s tallest public
viewing tower at 110m; and work-in-progress like the People Mover System and
new resort hotels. We are also examining
the possibility of locating a leisure theme park on Sentosa,
as envisioned under the Masterplan.
At the same time, we are
enhancing our thematic zones and ethnic districts, which include Orchard Road,
the Marina area and Chinatown. We are
also studying the development of an Integrated Entertainment Centre, which may
possibly include a casino. If we decide
to proceed, it will be a distinctive, world-class development with a
comprehensive range of amenities such as hotels, convention facilities, theme
attractions, retail shops, and food and beverage outlets. The aim is to enhance our appeal as an
international tourist destination, and thus attract a wider range and larger
number of international visitors.
Singapore is
delighted to host the IAAPA Asian Expo 2004.
I am glad to note that this event has grown to become Asia’s largest
attractions and leisure show. It provides
an excellent platform for members of the amusement and attractions industry to
meet and exchange ideas on the latest developments, as well as identify new
business opportunities. I hope that you will also take the opportunity to
participate in the unique hands-on educational tours at Singapore’s top
attractions.
Looking ahead,
the IAAPA will continue to play an important role in the growth of the leisure
and entertainment industry. In particular, we welcome IAAPA’s
involvement in supporting and fostering the growth of the Asian amusement and
attractions industry through regional associations such as the Association of
Singapore
Attractions.
On this note, it is
my pleasure to declare the IAAPA Asian Expo 2004 open. I wish all of you success at this
exhibition.
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