The Singapore Tourism Awards 2023 honoured 25 people and companies for providing extraordinary experiences and exhibiting business excellence when tourism fully resumed the previous year.
The Singapore Tourism Awards, given out by the Singapore Tourism Board (STB), are intended to increase the competitiveness of the industry by encouraging people and organisations to provide engaging experiences and implement best practises. From 90 finalists[2] submitted for the Experience Excellence (Leisure/MICE), Enterprise Excellence, and Customer Service Excellence categories, winners[1] were chosen.
“I congratulate all of our award recipients and finalists for their outstanding achievements,” stated STB Chief Executive Mr. Keith Tan. Their initiatives have improved the experiences of tourists to Singapore and benefited Singapore’s tourism industry. I hope that others in the tourist industry will be motivated by their successes to rise to the occasion and provide even more in the future.
Outstanding Lifetime Achievement for Tourism Contribution
The Award’s highest honour, Lifetime Achievement for Outstanding Contribution to Tourism, was given to Mr. George Tanasijevich, former president, chief executive officer, and managing director of Marina Bay Sands. He led the successful 2006 bid by Las Vegas Sands Corporation to build the Marina Bay Sands integrated resort. It is currently one of the most famous tourist sites in the world, generating good jobs for locals and substantial economic gains for Singapore.
Recognising excellence in travel
For their exceptional efforts in Experience Excellence (Leisure/MICE), Enterprise Excellence, and Customer Service Excellence, 24 people and businesses were also recognised.
Avatar: The Experience received the Outstanding Attraction Experience award in the area of Experience Excellence (Leisure). While giving a “eco-smart tourable experience” that can be moved about and reused, it engaged visitors in the “Pandora” universe while lowering its total carbon footprint.
fish in a kayak The Outstanding Tour Experience award was given to Fever’s Kayak Sailing in Singapore, Mangrove and Culinary Adventure for bringing tourists near to the natural ecology and habitats while providing a unique look at life on Pulau Ubin.
Due to its innovative use of an open wood and charcoal fire smokehouse and grill to create distinctively Asian flavours with Nanyang Teochew cuisine at the centre, Blue Smoke was selected Outstanding Casual Dining Experience.
For splitting FHA 2022 into two tradeshows, Informa’s Food & Hotel Asia (FHA) won the Outstanding Business Event award under the Experience Excellence (MICE) award category. It attracted significant attendance, making it Asia’s best-attended Food and Hospitality event.
For transforming Marina Bay Sands from a single venue attraction to a lively and connected district, Sands Expo and Convention Centre (Marina Bay Sands) received the Outstanding Event Venue Experience award. Additionally, it received the Exceptional Achievement[3] award for three consecutive years of Outstanding Event Venue Experience.
For demonstrating leadership in sustainability and conservation, Mandai Wildlife Group received the Outstanding Achievement in Sustainability award from the Enterprise Excellence award category. The organisation concentrated on improving neighbourhood habitats and ecological linkages at Mandai Wildlife Reserve in order to conserve biodiversity. Additionally, it reduced the amount of single-use plastics in the parks by 80% and changed the trams and buggies inside the parks to run on electricity.
The Discovery Neverending NFTs from Sentosa Development Corporation (SDC) won the award for Outstanding Marketing Idea because it effectively increased brand recognition and user engagement by capitalising on the acceptance of non-fungible tokens (NFT) among its target markets. The creative marketing strategy raised SDC’s loyalty programme sign-ups and attracted significant involvement, obtaining 1.96 million impressions on their social media platforms. It also included a clear analysis and mapping of audience behaviour.
Due to its organised approach to personnel management and development, Resorts World Sentosa was honoured as an Outstanding Employer (formerly known as the Exemplary Employer award). In 2022, the business created a tiered skill allotment system and completed about 300,000 training hours. A specialised Innovation Department is also there to support and collaborate with other departments on work practises and innovation.
Outstanding wellness experience receives a new award
The Outstanding Wellness Experience award was launched this year in keeping with STB’s vision for Singapore to develop into a global hub for urban wellness and to expand our tourist services in this field. The first-place prize was won by Xiu Nature Connections. Xiu Nature Connections has developed a novel approach for tourists to see Singapore through its unusual forest bathing experience that draws on Singapore’s little pockets of greenery. Additionally, it worked with partners including Far East Hospitality, Seek Sophie, and ClassPass to promote their forest bathing activities internationally.
The Singapore tourist Awards, which are presented by the Singapore Tourism Board (STB), unite Singapore’s tourist industry to honour those people and businesses who succeed at providing unique experiences and achieving business excellence. The Awards are a crucial component of STB’s initiatives to increase the competitiveness of the Singapore tourism industry by inspiring businesses and individuals to provide memorable experiences or adopt best practises. Visit www.singaporetourismawards.com for more details.
Source: breakingtravelnews