$15m fund to breathe new life into tourist spots

Associations that oversee popular tourist spots like Chinatown, Sentosa and Orchard Road are set to benefit from a new $15 million development fund, the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) said yesterday.

The STB announced the fund at its annual tourism industry conference, saying it can help precinct associations to market and develop their brands, and organise events to enliven their areas.

It will also be available for industry groups such as the Society of Tourist Guides Singapore (STGS) to tap.

Mr S. Iswaran, Minister in the Prime Minister's Office, was guest of honour at the event at Suntec convention centre and he told about 600 participants that the fund will help to "create authentic visitor experience".

STB's assistant chief executive for policy and planning Yap Chin Siang said the fund, which will be available until March 2016, will help to defray costs like training and professional development.

Applications for funding - which can cover up to 70 per cent of a project - will be approved on a case-by-case basis, he added.

"Our market research has shown us that visitors want to connect emotively with their destination. They want an immersive and different experience, so the precinct associations are important players in achieving this."

Chairman of STGS Howard Lim welcomed the new scheme as his 500-strong society aims to raise the professional standards of tour guides here.

Other precinct associations told The Straits Times the fund could help them to organise better events or make improvements to their districts.

"To pull off a good event of a certain scale with enough bite we need at least $100,000 to $200,000, and it's hard for us to raise that through sponsors alone," said Mr Tyrone Tabing, executive director of Singapore River One (SRO), which manages Boat Quay, Clarke Quay and Robertson Quay.

"We're thinking of doing a visitor map for the area and we have events lined up for Singapore's 50th anniversary next year, so hopefully the fund can help with that."

SRO's most popular event last year was St Patrick's Day, which pulled in more than 20,000 visitors over two days.

The Little India Shopkeepers and Heritage Association's vice-chairman S. Gohulabalan said that the association is relooking some suggestions to improve infrastructure from its 350 members, such as cleaning drains and levelling pavements.

"We were holding back on this because of the lack of funds but now we can consider it," he said.

This article was published on April 8 in The Straits Times.

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