For the first time in history, Singapore has been ranked the 'Top International Meeting City' in 2007 in the Union of International Associations (UIA) 2007 Global Rankings.
In the UIA's International Meetings Statistics 2007 report, Singapore leapfrogged two notches to clinch the top position, beating perennial favourites Paris (ranked 2nd) and Vienna (3rd), giving its ambition to be an exchange capital of the world a boost.
'The UIA congratulates Singapore on the steady growth in the number of international meetings it has hosted over the past few years, a growth that results from and reflects the focus, quality and creativity of the Singapore meetings industry,' said Mr Jacques de Mevius, Secretary-General, UIA.
Pitted against the best of the best from around the region, Singapore also topped the rankings in Asia, as Asia's top country and city for meetings, a position it has held for the last 24 consecutive years for the latter. As a destination, Singapore accounted for 22.5 per cent of the meetings held in the continent in 2007. Over the past ten years, Singapore has also seen a whopping 256 per cent growth in international meetings staged here.
Mr Lim Neo Chian, Deputy Chairman and Chief Executive of Singapore Tourism Board said, "The strong showing by Singapore reflects its strengths and sustained popularity as a leading business destination. In clinching the top position of the world's top city for meetings, Singapore cements its position as the preferred destination globally for business travellers to congregate.'
'In celebrating our success, we want to express our deepest appreciation to our industry partners for their immense efforts, unwavering support and contributions. We look forward to strengthening our partnership even further to deliver memorable experiences to business travellers and event organizers as we transform Singapore's tourism landscape with new tourism developments such as the Integrated Resorts, the Marina Bay Sands' and Resorts World at Sentosa; the Marina Bay Financial Centre, and the first phase of Gardens by the Bay come 2010,' he added.
Mr Richard Holmes, International Director of Meetings of the International Bureau for Epilepsy and the International League Against Epilepsy, feels that the main factor accounting for Singapore's strategic strengths as a MICE destination is the uniqueness of its East meets West culture. 'The blend of culture and history ensures that every visitor to Singapore feels welcomed. This was the first time in 20 years that the International Epilepsy Congress was held in Asia so not only was Singapore showcasing its own city but it was also representing the region too, and it passed with flying colours.'
Last year saw Singapore hosting 465 international meetings that met UIA's qualifying criteria, representing a significant 56 per cent growth over 2006. Most notable among these were The 3rd Hague International Model of United Nations, the 27th International Epilepsy Congress, the 2nd World Glaucoma Congress & Exhibition, the 18th Wonca World Conference 2007 and International Bar Association Conference 2007 which cumulatively drew close to 12,700 delegates to converge in Singapore.
Another addition to the growing list of accolades is a prestigious award conferred by Business Traveller Asia Pacific. For the tenth consecutive year, Singapore was voted by discerning readers of this reputable publication as the 'Best Business City in the World'. Singapore also picked up the top honours as the 'Best Business City in Southeast Asia' at the Business Traveller Asia Pacific Awards 2008 ceremony held at Conrad Hong Kong today.
Celebrating exemplary achievements in the tourism industry, the Business Traveller Asia-Pacific Awards was established to recognise the finest service in the travel industry.
Singapore also maintained its ranking as the easiest place in the world to do business for the third year running in the latest World Bank Report, and edged out New Zealand and the United States in the 'Doing Business 2009' ranking by the World Bank.
