The theme was black, gold and red, befitting the glamour of the event. After all, this was the “Oscars” of the service industry and the STB wanted to put on an evening that would honour the “stars” of the evening, said Sulian Tan-Wijaya, Director, Service Quality, whose division was responsible for staging the evening at the Esplanade Concert Hall.

The event was graced by President SR Nathan, and more than 1,200 guests attended.  The night's entertainment consisted of performances by 14-year old jazz prodigy Nathan Hatono and Dick Lee as well as a special item put up by 13 staff from various hotels.

What made this year’s awards special, she said, were the five awards presented to individuals and organisations for their invaluable contribution to the service industry.

• Outstanding Contribution to Tourism Award, Ms Jennie Chua
• Special Recognition Awards to Hitachi Group of Companies for its unflagging support of the Christmas Light-Up for 15 years and Amway Corporation for its consistent endorsement and support of Singapore as a Business Events Travel destination.
• Tourism Entrepreneur of the Year, Mr Tay Liam Wee, Group Managing Director of Sincere Watch Limited
• New Tourism Entrepreneur of the Year, Mr Geeson P Lawadinata, Executive Director of Grace International Pte Ltd

Repeat winners such as Giordano Originals, Spa Botanica, Singapore Zoo, Ritz-Carlton Millenia and Zouk also proved that they had consistently strived to better themselves and raise the bar, serving as role models for the industry, said Sulian.

While some may feel that 30 awards may be too many for the Tourism Awards to be truly meaningful – it started life with seven categories, Sulian said, “Singapore’s ability to stay competitive as a premier tourism destination lies in our ability to provide a unique blend of experiences that our visitors will find irresistible. It lies in Singapore’s ability to create that distinctiveness that makes Singapore stand out from the crowd.

“We regularly review the categories each year to ensure that the Tourism Awards remain relevant to consumers and visitors. The addition of new categories each year is a reflection of how much the tourism industry has evolved to encompass so many industries and STB’s continuing endeavour to meet the challenges of an increasingly competitive tourism landscape, as our visitors become more discerning and sophisticated.

“We also review the number and categories of awards to stay focused on our objectives in recognising the real stars of tourism and service excellence.”

The five new categories this year were Best Singapore Travel Story (Print), Best Singapore Travel Story (Broadcast), Best Singapore Education Partner (Overseas School Trips), Best New Retail Concept and Tourism Host of the Year – Spa.