Singapore - The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) has launched a S$15 million (US$8.61 million) tactical campaign aimed at drawing 1.8 million business travellers and meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions (BTMICE) visitors, and generating more than S$3 billion in tourism receipts by 2005.

This is the largest sum ever spent on a BTMICE campaign. Named Make it Singapore, it was launched after deliberations with the local travel and hospitality industry. Over and above what the STB is spending, the trade has come in with free rooms, f&b discounts and attractive airfares from Singapore Airlines.

In addition to incentives for visitors, financial support will be offered to MICE planners who bid for, market and promote events in Singapore. Corporate meetings/regional training, incentive groups or conventions that can generate at least 400 rooms and are confirmed by end 2004 and held by end 2007, stand a chance to qualify for up to 30 per cent financial support for event enhancement costs and event management fees.

For MNCs that hold regular regional meetings but may not be able to generate the 400 room nights required, STB's chief, business operations, Mr Gerald Lee, said the board would work with the travel industry to offer attractive programmes for their business travellers to bring their spouses and families here. The STB recently launched a set of discount vouchers, together with American Express, that can be used at outlets that would appeal to this group.

Last month, the STB also started a round of discussions with close to 100 MNCs to explain the role of destination management companies (DMCs) in a bid to foster closer ties between the two.

Mr Lee said: "Some MNCs do not know that DMCs can help them in arranging meeting programmes. We plan to organise regular meet-ups between them, some of which may be in the form of theme parties, to give MNCs an idea of what can be experienced in Singapore."

The new campaign comes at a time when Singapore is facing tremendous competition from the region and recovering from the impact of SARS.

Overall, BTMICE events and arrivals have not been performing well since the Asian crisis. The average growth rate for events from 1990 to 1994 was 10.8 per cent, but from 1995 to 1999, it was - 5.5 per cent. Growth figures thereafter are not available. But in 2002, the segment attracted 1.5 million visitors and generated tourism receipts of S$2.2 billion.

Mr Lee said the last BTMICE campaign, Global Meet Singapore, was launched in the late 1990s and it was time for a new one. "The segment's performance has been flat. There is more competition now, but we have 30 years of experience and we want to quickly give an additional push for the industry. This is a tactical campaign devoted to both market and channel development."

Make it Singapore will be accompanied by a global print advertising and direct mailer campaign which will target key markets such as the US, the UK, Germany, China, Hong Kong, Japan, India, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Australia and locally.