Singapore: The City of Choice for Business Travel

The 117th IOC General Assembly in 2005 was held at the Raffles City Convention Center in Singapore, with 3,000 to 5,000 IOC members and their families, IOC staff and guests, Leaders of international sports federations, representatives and supporters of the bidding city, as well as media from all over the world, gathered in Singapore, which is known as the Garden City of Asia.

The world's 1 billion sports-loving viewers also focused their attention on Singapore through TV broadcasts to witness the announcement of the winner of the Olympic hosting rights.

Hosting the Olympic Games Plenary Session is just one of the tasks that Singapore, a global corporate city, has hosted many major international events in recent years. So far, the top trade fairs in the Asia-Pacific region hosted by Singapore, such as the Asia Air Show, one of the world's three largest aviation exhibitions, the Asian Food and Hotel Exhibition, the International Communication and Information Technology and International Electronic Media Exhibitions and Seminars, have long been well-known internationally. Good reviews.

MICE is closely related to tourism. The tourism business of the "Singapore Model" is not only about sightseeing and eating and drinking, but its tourism pillars include business travel, conferences, incentive travel, and large-scale conferences and exhibitions. The International Convention Association selected Singapore as the third best conference city in the world, which is the only city in Asia to receive this honor, and is also the best recognition of Singapore by the International Convention Association.

Taking business travel as an example, despite the severe challenges of the global economy in 2003, Singapore welcomed 1.25 million business travelers, accounting for 20% of the total number of arrivals. Don't forget that the total population of Singapore is just over 4 million.

Why do so many business travelers choose to come to Singapore for business activities? These budget-conscious, long-sleeved business travelers, what does their "rational choice" mean? Singapore's reputation as a beautiful and tidy garden city and its good public security environment are probably not the main reasons. We might as well evaluate and understand this issue at a deeper level.

From a macro perspective, that is, from the perspective of the macro environment, first of all, from the perspective of Singapore's 30 years from 1970 to 1999, the proportion of the 10 ASEAN countries in world exports was as high as 45.6% in the EU in 1970. ; NAFTA is 21.7%; ASEAN countries are only 2.3%; the data in 1980 are 41%, 16.6% and 3.9% respectively, ASEAN's share is also very limited.

However, the other end of the limited share also means that there is a lot of room for development. The report, published by the World Bank in 2001, shows that the trend of mutual growth and development continued in 1999, with the proportions of the European Union 38.9%; NAFTA 18.8%; ASEAN 6.5%, ASEAN and Although the gap between Europe and the United States is still large, the nearly three-fold growth momentum in the past 30 years highlights the strong development potential of this region, but it is also a reality that cannot be ignored.

Secondly, according to relevant statistics, the trade openness and investment openness of ASEAN countries in 2001 were respectively 275% and 24.6% in Singapore; 80% and 9% in the Philippines; 194% and 19.7% in Malaysia; 2.9%, Singapore's trade openness ranks among the top in the world, and its investment openness also attracts attention.

The above two "openness" refer to the ratio of foreign direct investment absorbed and utilized by a country to its capital formation, which is also an important aspect of measuring globalization. Therefore, Southeast Asia has long been a region of interest for foreign direct investment (especially Japan), and it is the so-called "strategic battleground".

As the world's second largest economy, Japan will continue to exert a significant influence on the economy of Southeast Asia. At the same time, China, which is developing peacefully, has increasingly become an important factor that cannot be ignored in the globalization strategy of ASEAN countries, which is also a good explanation for the increasing number of business travelers visiting Singapore.

Third, according to the United Nations Development Programme's Human Development Report 1999: Humanizing Globalization and the World Bank Report 2003: Sustainable Development in a Changing World - Improving Institutions, Growth Patterns and Quality of Life In 1985, the foreign direct investment received by ASEAN countries, Singapore topped the list with US$1.047 billion, and the Philippines ranked second with only US$310 million.

In 1999, Singapore still topped the list with foreign direct investment of US$6.39 billion, followed by Thailand with US$3.36 billion, and Singapore was far ahead. Nonetheless, the founding members of ASEAN, such as Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines, have an increasing amount of foreign investment, while new members such as Vietnam, Brunei, and Cambodia have great potential for development. Road".

Looking at Singapore's competitive advantages from a micro perspective, Singapore, which is located in the center of Southeast Asia, can be found to have an excellent location in the regional center only from the geographical point of view. Of course, the ever-changing communication technology and transportation are enough to make up for its natural position. However, for Singapore, the ingenious combination of the two is a good match of peony and green leaves.

Because of this, more than 7,000 multinational companies regard Singapore as a strategic fortress for their regional development. Many of them set up their regional headquarters in Singapore and dispatch their elite soldiers here. Singapore's status as a business center is self-evident. metaphor.

Speaking of talents, Singapore, which has always adopted a policy of opening up talents, can be said to be the talent pool in the region. Tens of thousands of talents from various fields in China have taken root here. Talents open their minds and welcome friends from all over the world to show their talents on this land with capital, technology and creativity.

In addition to its strategic location, excellent infrastructure, state-of-the-art conference equipment, well-trained professionals, and well-connected sea, land and air links, Singapore also seeks to improve service levels and has implemented several industry standards to ensure High level of specialisation and service level in Singapore's business, MICE and incentive tourism industries.

These standards include the Monitoring Performance Accreditation Certification Scheme, the Qualified Meetings Planner Accreditation Scheme, and the Singapore Standards for Exhibition Terminology and Auditing Procedures. "First-class service level" is not a beautiful slogan, it is a specific indicator that can be quantified.

Of course, business travelers come from afar. Apart from developing their careers and conducting business activities, they also look forward to a colorful leisure life in their spare time. In this regard, business travelers will definitely not be disappointed. The unique charm of Singapore is not only displayed in the audio-visual, but also in the feeling, which must be tasted carefully and slowly aftertaste.

From colorful ethnic cultures, mouth-watering delicacies, dynamic and charming attractions to exciting nightlife, and year-round festivals, guests from afar can meet their business needs. Feeling right at home and heartbroken by the very charm of "very Singapore".