25 individuals and organisations were recognised at the Singapore Tourism Awards 2023, for delivering exceptional experiences and displaying enterprise excellence as tourism resumed fully last year.
Conferred by the Singapore Tourism Board (STB), the Singapore Tourism Awards seeks to raise the sector’s competitiveness by motivating individuals and organisations to create compelling experiences and adopt best practices. Recipients[1] were selected from 90 finalists[2] nominated for the categories of Experience Excellence (Leisure/MICE), Enterprise Excellence and Customer Service Excellence.
STB Chief Executive Mr Keith Tan said, “I congratulate all our award recipients and finalists for their outstanding achievements. Their efforts have strengthened Singapore’s tourism sector and enhanced the experiences of visitors to Singapore. I hope their achievements will inspire others in the tourism sector to step up and perform even better in the future.”
Lifetime Achievement for Outstanding Contribution to Tourism
Mr George Tanasijevich, former President and CEO/Managing Director of Marina Bay Sands, was conferred the Awards’ highest accolade – Lifetime Achievement for Outstanding Contribution to Tourism. He spearheaded Las Vegas Sands Corporation’s successful bid in 2006 to develop the Marina Bay Sands integrated resort. It is now one the world’s most iconic tourist destinations, creating quality jobs for locals and significant economic benefits for Singapore.
Recognising the best in tourism
24 individuals and organisations were also honoured for their outstanding achievements in Experience Excellence (Leisure/MICE), Enterprise Excellence and Customer Service Excellence.
In particular, Avatar: The Experience was awarded Outstanding Attraction Experience under the Experience Excellence (Leisure) award category. It immersed visitors in the world of “Pandora”, while offering an “eco-smart tourable experience” that can be transported and reused, reducing its overall carbon footprint.
Kayak Fishing Fever’s Kayak Sailing in Singapore, Mangrove and Culinary Adventure received the Outstanding Tour Experience for bringing guests up close with the natural ecosystem and habitats while offering a rare glimpse into life on Pulau Ubin.
Blue Smoke was named Outstanding Casual Dining Experience for its unique concept of an open wood and charcoal fire smokehouse and grill, while creating uniquely Asian flavours with Nanyang Teochew cuisine at the core.
Informa’s Food & Hotel Asia (FHA) received the Outstanding Business Event award under the Experience Excellence (MICE) award category, for restructuring FHA 2022 into two tradeshows. It achieved strong attendance to become the best-attended Food and Hospitality event in Asia.
Sands Expo and Convention Centre (Marina Bay Sands) was awarded Outstanding Event Venue Experience for repositioning Marina Bay Sands from a one-venue destination to a vibrant and integrated precinct. It has also been conferred the Exceptional Achievement[3] award for achieving Outstanding Event Venue Experience three years in a row.
Mandai Wildlife Group was awarded the Outstanding Achievement in Sustainability under the Enterprise Excellence award category, for displaying leadership in conservation and sustainability. To protect biodiversity, the organisation focused on enhancing local habitats and ecological connectivity at Mandai Wildlife Reserve. It also achieved an 80% reduction in single use plastics across parks and converted its in-park trams and buggies to run on electricity.
Sentosa Development Corporation’s (SDC) Discovery Neverending NFTs was named Outstanding Marketing Idea as it successfully drove brand awareness and engagement by leveraging the popularity of non-fungible tokens (NFT) among their target segments. The innovative marketing plan – which had a clear analysis and mapping of audience behaviour – increased sign-ups for SDC’s loyalty programme and garnered high participation, receiving 1.96 million impressions on their social channels.
Resorts World Sentosa was recognised as Outstanding Employer (formerly the Exemplary Employer award) for its structured approach in talent management and development. The organisation achieved close to 300,000 training hours in 2022 and implemented a tiered skill allowance framework. It also has a dedicated Innovation Department to assist and work with departments on innovation and work processes.
New award for Outstanding Wellness Experience
In line with STB’s ambition for Singapore to become an urban wellness haven and to grow our tourism offerings in this area, the Outstanding Wellness Experience award was introduced this year. The inaugural award was clinched by Xiu Nature Connections. Through its unique forest bathing experience that taps on pockets of green spaces in Singapore, Xiu Nature Connections created a distinctive way for visitors to explore Singapore. It also collaborated with stakeholders such as Far East Hospitality, Seek Sophie and ClassPass to drive global outreach for its forest bathing programmes.
Organised by the Singapore Tourism Board (STB), the Singapore Tourism Awards brings together Singapore’s tourism sector to celebrate individuals and organisations that best deliver exceptional experiences and achieve enterprise excellence. The Awards is an integral part of STB’s efforts to raise the Singapore tourism sector’s competitiveness by motivating organisations and individuals to create compelling experiences or adopt best practices. For more information, visit www.singaporetourismawards.com.
