Foreigners say Singapore boring and authorithan
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http://edition.cnn.com/2005/TRAVEL/08/18/singapore.business.reut/index.html
SINGAPORE (Reuters) -- If one thinks of Singapore, safe but dull are likely to come to mind.
But the government is trying to cast off this image by building casinos and exotic venues to entertain tourists and lure lucrative business travelers as part of a plan to make the city-state the venue of choice for international conferences.
Last month, the International Olympic Committee meeting in Singapore, where London was chosen as host for the 2012 Olympics, received a few barbs for its televised finale. A British newspaper said the show scaled new heights of kitsch.
But the event, seen by about one billion people worldwide, highlighted its ability to stage big business gatherings.
Despite boasting one of the world's top-ranked airports and impressive convention entrees, industry experts say the country -- which bans the sale of chewing gum and Playboy magazine -- stumbles when it comes to the fun factor.
"Singapore has the image of being boring and authoritarian. For business travelers, it's like visiting your parents rather than going to somewhere fun," said Patrick Wilkerson, Regional Brand and Business Development Director of ad agency Leo Burnett.
Wilkerson, who has helped neighboring Thailand sell itself to tourists, said Singapore must overcome its unexciting image if it wants to attract more business travelers.
Such visitors contributed S$2.4 billion ($1.45 billion) to the country last year, or 30 percent of total tourism revenue.
Competition is intensifying as other Asian cities boost their infrastructure -- Singapore has about 36,500 hotel rooms but Shanghai and Bangkok already have about two times that number.
Convention and incentive travel is key to the government's plan to triple tourism revenues to S$30 billion by 2015. Tourism, hit by the SARS virus outbreak two years ago, is increasingly important for the tiny island's $110 billion economy as it loses more manufacturing jobs to low-cost neighbors.
"Whether it's attracting larger events such as the Olympic meeting or smaller industry conventions, it's all about creating jobs," said CIMB-GK Goh Economist Song Seng Wun.
Breaking the mould
Once described as "Disneyland with a death penalty" by science fiction writer William Gibson, Singapore has taken steps in recent years to rectify its reputation for being bland, allowing bar-top dancing and street busking.
Singapore Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong told a gathering of conference operators last month the state was ready to "break the old mould" to become one of the world's top meeting places.
It is set to legalize casinos and is in the process of picking developers for two casinos worth an estimated $5 billion.
Singapore, which only lifted a ban on the risque U.S. television show "Sex and the City" last year, will also soon have its own branch of Paris's Crazy Horse cabaret, famous for its erotic nude dance performances.
"We're all human -- we would all like to attend events in places that have prestige or glamour," said Sophie LeRay, Managing Director of naseba, a Monaco-based events organizer.
But she added that Singapore's predictability is a strength in these uncertain times.
While neighboring Thailand and Indonesia have suffered militant attacks, the city-state has remained unscathed.
"Singapore's drawbacks are the usual cliches that you can't smoke, can't chew gum and you can't jaywalk here. But once people arrive here, these cliches disappear," she said.
MICE are key
Singapore was ranked sixth for the number of international meetings hosted in 2003, after Paris, Vienna, Geneva, Brussels and London and ahead of Barcelona, Copenhagen, Berlin, Rome and New York, according the Union of International Associations.
The only Asian destination among the top-ranked cities, Singapore aims to lure more such gatherings, known in industry jargon as "MICE" travel -- Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Exhibitions -- to its shores and hopes this kind of travel will see average growth of 15 percent per year in the next decade.
"We want to grow this portion because the MICE visitor spends more than the average tourist," Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts, Lee Boon Yang, told Reuters.
MICE visitors made up 26 percent of Singapore's 8.3 million tourist arrivals last year and the country wants this portion to rise to 35 percent by 2015.
Like other business travelers, MICE visitors typically spend two or three times more than leisure tourists. On average, business travelers fork out S$1,500 ($904) to $1,800 per trip, figures from the Singapore Tourism Board show.
Singapore's reputation for efficiency has attracted a series of high-profile events, including July's IC meeting, the International Institute for Strategic Studies' Asia Security Conference in June and the World Economic Forum in April.
Next September, it will host 16,000 delegates for the six-day annual meetings of the boards of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank Group. Larger still will be Asian Aerospace 2006 in February, expected to draw 27,000 visitors. -
It's alright, it's alright, everything's alright, I said the same about theirs, so we called it quits.
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"Despite boasting one of the world's top-ranked airports and impressive convention entrees, industry experts say the country -- which bans the sale of chewing gum and Playboy magazine -- stumbles when it comes to the fun factor. "
Using porn as a fun factor is against our values. Fun is subjective. It is fun to lie down at the beach and bask in the sun, at least, it is fun to me.
As for the gum thing....
Ban the sale of cigarettes would be a better choice. -
Singapore is run by book smart scholars.
Make Singapore a fun place?
I reckon your chances of striking the lottery are higher. -
Singapore no fun at all? Build Harry Potter theme park. It would draw in the U-16 crowd. Casinos and cabarets are adult-oriented. We should go for family-oriented entertainment venues.
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Ban gum n smokes but legalise Marijuana. It has so much more health benefits then smokes.. plus it also adds into the 'FUN FACTOR' 2 birds with 1 stone.
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x2 ^5Originally posted by BadzMaro:Ban gum n smokes but legalise Marijuana. It has so much more health benefits then smokes.. plus it also adds into the 'FUN FACTOR' 2 birds with 1 stone. -
Guys .... marijuana is not "Okay" !!! ...... despite what other societies might think ... and all the stuff that you might have heard about the "medical" benefits of weed ..... hell, i've even read a report in Nature magazine about the benefits of tobacco for increasing long term memory ! ..... (though i smoke cigarettes myself ...
)
I know lots of people in the west now see weed as innocous as tobacco, hell, there's even a movement in British Columbia to legitimize weed ! ... but honestly, this is a path which i'd never want Singapore to go down to .... (highly unlikely in any case...). I agree that singapore can do a bit more to loosen up ... but we have to draw the line somewhere ...
I'm not trying to get on a moral high horse over here ... I'm no angel myself .... I drink, smoke, club and the animal in me comes out when i play ... but i draw the line at sucking on a bong or popping a pill thank you very much ..... I'll stick to cigarettes .....
which is more than what i can say about certain singaporeans i've seen here overseas, unfortunately .... -
Singapore's idea of fun is a boring joke.
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Then should they allow sleaze into the country in order to lighten up the mood?Originally posted by macjoe:Singapore's idea of fun is a boring joke.
PS: Anyone been bar-top dancing lately? It has been allowed since 2 years ago. -
The Japs are well-known for great copycats.Originally posted by iveco:PS: Anyone been bar-top dancing lately? It has been allowed since 2 years ago.
Singapore's copycat of bar-top dancing sucks. It's not the REAL thing.
If you want real entertainment and the wow factor, not found in Singapore.
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wats wrong wif having playboy ? you mean singaporean males are not attracted to beautiful nude women like men in the rest of the world ?Originally posted by harmony:"Despite boasting one of the world's top-ranked airports and impressive convention entrees, industry experts say the country -- which bans the sale of chewing gum and Playboy magazine -- stumbles when it comes to the fun factor. "
Using porn as a fun factor is against our values. Fun is subjective. It is fun to lie down at the beach and bask in the sun, at least, it is fun to me.
As for the gum thing.... Ban the sale of cigarettes would be a better choice. -
hmm..i also quite agree with the foreigners views...but his views is considered peanuts as he didn't stay in singapore for a long time & he has not met the adequate understanding on our local livelihood under the Lee authority.
Give him some time to look into it & he will appreciate our way of life with some flaws in it. -
I did not say anything's wrong with porn, I merely suggest that it is against our values. Some people view porns as sleaze and I'm one of them. This is about Singapore is a boring city and porn thing will not get the fun factor going. I feel that Singapore should reflect good clean fun rather than bringing in something that affect our moral values.Originally posted by crazy monkey:wats wrong wif having playboy ? you mean singaporean males are not attracted to beautiful nude women like men in the rest of the world ? -
Porn is indeed against any culture's values, whether American, Singaporean, Chinese, muslim or Japanese. But there's always demand for porn, despite the fact it's against our value system.Originally posted by harmony:"Despite boasting one of the world's top-ranked airports and impressive convention entrees, industry experts say the country -- which bans the sale of chewing gum and Playboy magazine -- stumbles when it comes to the fun factor. "
Using porn as a fun factor is against our values. Fun is subjective. It is fun to lie down at the beach and bask in the sun, at least, it is fun to me.
As for the gum thing.... Ban the sale of cigarettes would be a better choice.
Why? Because its abt sex basically. Every human being, once they grow up, will know abt sex. Sex is part of life and death. So why people crave porn? Because the system, which takes a dim view of sex, doesn't mention sex. That's why porn exists as an alternative channel for people to know abt sex.
Porn itself isn't a good sex education channel, I do agree. But as long as people suppress sex as sinful and refuses to discuss it openly and honestly to themselves and to their kids, people will always turn to porn as to fullfill their knowledge about the opposite sex and sex itself.
In short, people do have a pervert dark side- that includes everyone. Porn, in its most perverted manner, reaches to that dark side of people in order to get popular.
If we want to master that perverted monster in our soul, then we need to be open when comes to sex. As simple as that. -
Want to have fun? Vote yourself for the top job (Presidency). Not only is it gonna be fun, u also get to "learn and grow up within a very short time"... Welcome to Singapore, a place where the government takes care of everything for you; including deciding who is your government and who will be the president... Just pay your tax on time and enjoy the above hassle free services. Brought to you by the "Cheng Hu" u voted.
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their definition of fun = sex, gamble, drinking
I dont want singapore to become a sex city
then u see prostitutes everywhere
and u see angmoh come here just to fark char bo
become a very 'cheap' city -
Foriengers have their own style of doing/thinking ways or things which is more open while we Singaporeans have our own speciality which not open, conservative and "kiasee". This cannot blamed both of the people as we/they have their rights too.
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beach? since when did singapore has it own beach? I thought they are just sand from indonesia?Originally posted by harmony:"Despite boasting one of the world's top-ranked airports and impressive convention entrees, industry experts say the country -- which bans the sale of chewing gum and Playboy magazine -- stumbles when it comes to the fun factor. "
Using porn as a fun factor is against our values. Fun is subjective. It is fun to lie down at the beach and bask in the sun, at least, it is fun to me.
As for the gum thing.... Ban the sale of cigarettes would be a better choice.
If we ban sale of cigarette, are we going to impose death penalty if caught trafficking them? -
If we "legalize" weed, I am sure singapore we be the no.1 holiday spot in Asia.Originally posted by BadzMaro:Ban gum n smokes but legalise Marijuana. It has so much more health benefits then smokes.. plus it also adds into the 'FUN FACTOR' 2 birds with 1 stone. -
Singapore goverment is just trying to protect flat chested singapore women being humiliated by porn magazine....Originally posted by crazy monkey:wats wrong wif having playboy ? you mean singaporean males are not attracted to beautiful nude women like men in the rest of the world ? -
Singapore is already a legalized SEX city. Dont you know that prostitution is legalized in this country? talking about ang moh and char bo, have you been to orchard tower? that is like the ASEAN fu.ck convention, which is also part of the MICE..Originally posted by OldAhPek:their definition of fun = sex, gamble, drinking
I dont want singapore to become a sex city
then u see prostitutes everywhere
and u see angmoh come here just to fark char bo
become a very 'cheap' city -
huh harry potter theme park?? no use one lah.. child sex can never be legalised no matter how despo our government ar lah..... oppsss.. this is not Bar hor??Originally posted by iveco:Singapore no fun at all? Build Harry Potter theme park. It would draw in the U-16 crowd. Casinos and cabarets are adult-oriented. We should go for family-oriented entertainment venues.
/me siam -
Since when did child sex become part of Harry Potter?Originally posted by I-like-flings(m):huh harry potter theme park?? no use one lah.. child sex can never be legalised no matter how despo our government ar lah..... oppsss.. this is not Bar hor??
/me siam -
Simply & basically speaking, if u think singapore is a boring place, might as well migrate to somewhere else which u think is fun to you.