Special Edition

Welcome to this special edition of P@SSPORT - special because it pays tribute to the winners of the Singapore Tourism Board’s 20th Tourism Awards. Altogether, 45 outstanding individuals and organisations were honoured at the awards ceremony held at the Esplanade Concert Hall on 2 March. It was a night not only of known talent - with performances by 14-year-old jazz prodigy Nathan Hatono and Dick Lee - but also of hidden talent when 13 staff from different hotels showed off their singing prowess.  We were honoured to have with us the President of Singapore, His Excellency S R Nathan, and Mrs Nathan, and we want to thank the more than 1,200 guests for taking the time to join us at this highly important industry event.  Now into its 20th year, the Tourism Awards, seen as the "Oscars" of the industry, has evolved to keep pace with the changing tourism landscape. From a tourist-and-travel-centric recognition programme, the Tourism Awards now covers the full spectrum of service industries related to tourism, namely hotel, BTMICE, leisure attraction, food and beverage, entertainment, spa, retail and travel. A greater emphasis has been placed on innovation, creativity and experiential factors, so as to encourage industry players to create unique experiences and distinctive service elements to ensure Singapore’s competitiveness. From the inaugural seven categories, there are now 30 award categories, including five new ones added this year - 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. Today it is considered the "Oscars" of the tourism industry. A total of 26 of the 30 Award categories were open to public nominations. This year, over 125,000 nominations poured in, of which 75 per cent came from Singaporeans, reflecting the personal interest that Singaporeans have taken towards how the industry is evolving. Judging panels comprised representatives from the tourism industry as well as private and public sectors. We would like to thank everyone involved who made the 20th Tourism Awards a success. We would also like to congratulate the finalists and winners who have all demonstrated their unique ability to add that extra touch in creating unique experiences and distinctive service elements for our visitors. It is this spirit of innovation and the willingness to go the extra mile that ensures Singapore remains attractive as a destination. We hope that these ‘Stars’ of the tourism industry will continue to break new ground, scale greater heights and inspire the rest of the industry to raise the bar in the quality of the service experiences that they offer to our visitors, as well as Singaporeans. Yours sincerely, Ken Low Assistant Chief Executive Brand & Communications

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...

Jennie Chua: The Accidental Hotelier When P@SSPORT asked Jennie Chua whether she ever thought she’d win the highest accolade "Outstanding Contribution to Tourism" 21 years after she first worked on the launch of the Tourism Awards, her quick retort, "Of course, I planned it." Tay Liam Wee: The man who creates time Singapore’s Tourism Entrepreneur of the Year, Mr Tay Liam Wee, Group   Managing Director, Sincere Watch Limited, says he is not in the business of just selling time. "We are more than that; we are in the business of creating time." Geeson Lawadinata: "Slightly naughty, but never tawdry" No, Geeson P Lawandinata is not describing himself but his one-year-old   baby, The Scarlet hotel.   Read more about the award winners - some of the winning stars share  their joy on the night, and tell a little about how they started in the tourism business. Tourism Hosts of the Year Special Recognition Awards Best Accomodation Experience - Deluxe Hotel Best Accomodation Experience - Superior Hotel Best Accomodation Experience - Budget Hotel Best Business Event Experience Best Leisure Event Experience Best Leisure Attraction Experience Best Nightspot Experience Best Sightseeing/Leisure/Educational Programme Best Spa Experience Best Shopping Experience - Best New Retail Concept Best Shopping Experience - Department Store Best Shopping Experience - Specialty Store Best Singapore Education Partner Best Singapore Travel Experience - China Best Singapore Travel Experience - India Best Singapore Travel Experience - Korea Best Singapore Travel Story - Broadcast Best Singapore Travel Story - Print Most Innovative Marketing Effort by an Airline and/or Foreign Tour Operator

To be one of the world's best by 2015 In this special issue, P@SSPORT speaks to STB's Director for Service Quality, Ms Sulian Tan-Wijaya on the Board’s vision to see Singapore ranked among the world’s best in service standards by 2015.

It's service that will make Singapore stand out The stars of Tourism Awards 2005 share their views on the importance of Singapore cultivating the service edge and what it means to deliver great service. And oh yes, words of advice to new entrants to the service sector.

This e-mail and its attachments(s), if any ("communication") may contain confidential and/or privileged information. If you are not the intended recipient, you should not use, disclose, copy, distribute or deliver this communication in whole or in part to anyone. Kindly notify us of the error and delete it (including copies) immediately. Thank you.