i'mpact Singapore Tourism Board Annual Report 2010/2011

Tourism Sector Performance
the professionalism, skills and progression opportunities
in the service industry and enhanced the culture of service
appreciation by reaching out to business decision makers,
service staff and consumers.
To recognise establishments that champion good customer
service, the Best of Singapore Service Star (SSS) initiative
profiled 44 businesses that scored the highest in the mystery
shopping exercises conducted throughout 2010. Businesses
were chosen across the food and beverage, nightspot and retail
sectors to serve as role models for other establishments looking
to raise the bar on service excellence.
The travel services sector has also joined the SSS initiative
and embarked on a comprehensive Customer-Centric Initiative
led by the National Association of Travel Agents Singapore
(NATAS) with support from STB and SPRING Singapore. The
initiative aims for members of the travel agency industry to
commit to service excellence and improve in customer service
and operational efficiency. Some key programmes to be put in
motion include the development of common service standards
for all NATAS members and the appointment of Service Quality
Managers in travel agencies.
In addition to good service, exceptional experiences are
what keep visitors returning. With this in mind, the Singapore
Experience Awards (SEA) was set up to differentiate
Singapore as a premier tourist destination with its focus on the
experiential elements of its products as well as service delivery
to enhance the visitor experience. The awards have certainly
spurred the industry on with three new awards, namely Best
Education Experience, Best Enrichment Experience and Best
Healthcare Experience, which were introduced in 2010 to
reflect the creativity, quality and diversity of service providers
Visitors are enjoying their time in Singapore more with an increase in service
awareness across the country’s retail and hospitality sectors.
that have gone beyond traditional tourism. Also launched
was the inaugural Singapore Experience Conversation, a
forum that provided invited guests with opportunities for
open dialogue and sharing of best practices to help tackle
the ever-changing consumer landscape. More than 34,000
unique nominations were received in 2010, an approximate
30 per cent increase in the number of nominations received
as compared to the previous year – a healthy indication that
both the public and industry recognise the value of providing a
holistic customer experience.
STB continues to find new and more effective ways of dealing
with consumer-related complaints by tourists. An agreement
with the Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE) sees both
parties co-managing tourism retail-related complaints, providing
visitors with a continual platform for recourse even after they
depart Singapore while sending a strong signal to recalcitrant
retailers to curb unfair trade practices.
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