Question
Mr Nicholas Fang: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry (a) what is the status of Singapore's bid to host the Women's Tennis Association Championships; (b) what is the likely investment needed to secure and host this event; and (c) what is the likely return on the investment.
Written Reply by Mr S Iswaran, Second Minister for Trade and Industry
Sports event management and media company World Sport Group (WSG) had earlier submitted a commercial bid to the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) for Singapore to host the WTA Championships from 2014 to 2018. The WTA announced last Wednesday (8 May 2013) that it had selected Singapore as the host city.
The WTA Championships is a major international tennis event, second only to the Grand Slams in stature and global branding. It attracts more than 40 million viewers across 167 countries. There is potential to augment the sporting event with an integrated lifestyle festival with considerable tourism and international branding potential for Singapore. STB estimates that the event could generate incremental tourism receipts of about S$15 million each year.
The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) and the Singapore Sports Council (SSC) assess that there will be significant spill-over benefits from hosting the event. The WTA Championships will provide good opportunities for local tennis development and community engagement. Singaporeans will be able to enjoy world class women’s tennis and associated activities. Our athletes and the local tennis fraternity will benefit from training, coaching and interaction with the WTA athletes, coaches and officials. Our companies also stand to gain through complementary business and lifestyle activities, as well as opportunities to build their brands globally.
Government will support a portion of the approved costs, commensurate with the broader economic benefits that can be derived from this event. STB and SSC will work with all stakeholders to make the WTA Championships an international sporting event that Singaporeans are happy and proud to host.