Tourism50 closes with the opening of a new STB Tourism Gallery

SINGAPORE - As Tourism50 celebrations come to a close, the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) has opened a public gallery at its Tanglin premises that narrates Singapore tourism's transformation story and pays tribute to the people who have been a part of this remarkable journey.

Some of the things that the public can learn at the new STB Gallery include the beginnings of Singapore's tourism development, the hard work put into preserving and rejuvenating our cultural precincts, and how STB and industry partners have been bringing the world to Singapore. The Gallery also reveals little known facts behind the creation of Singapore's tourism icons such as the Merlion, and recounts the challenges that the tourism sector has had to overcome. These are told through interactive displays, captivating visuals and interesting paraphernalia.

STB Chief Executive Lionel Yeo says, "We are heartened by the response of local residents to our many Tourism50 events and activities. In addition to the celebrations, we hope Tourism50 has also fostered a better appreciation of tourism's contribution to Singapore's development as a better place to live, work and play."

"We are dedicating the Gallery to the many enterprises and individuals who have left an indelible mark on Singapore's tourism development. We hope that the stories and the featured personalities will serve as inspiration as we continue to strive towards quality tourism," Mr Yeo adds.

Tourism50 comes to a close
The year-long Tourism50 celebrations, which comprised three phases – Reminisce, Rediscover and Celebrate - closed on a high note with a grand finale event that took place during the third run of Pedestrian Night on Orchard Road. The event, which was under the Celebrate phase, saw thousands of local residents and visitors take to the streets to enjoy live performances and films by home-grown talents under the glittering Christmas lights along Singapore's iconic shopping belt.

Events and activities under the first two phases were also well received by local residents. For example, the very first Tourism50 event - "Reliving Haw Par Villa", was attended by more than 13,000 persons over two weekends in March. Another event that saw a great turnout was Rev up! Singapore Kartnival, which offered 500 local residents the experience of a lifetime – racing through the Marina Bay Street Circuit in go-karts. Due to overwhelming response, many of the Rediscover events and activities specially curated by local tourism enterprises, such as arts and precinct tours, were oversubscribed.

The STB Gallery is located at level one, Tourism Court, 1 Orchard Spring Lane. Visitors are welcome from Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm. Admission is free.

sourced:traveldailynews.asia