​SPEECH BY MR S ISWARAN, MINISTER FOR TRADE AND INDUSTRY (INDUSTRY), AT THE OFFICIAL OPENING OF CHINATOWN HERITAGE CENTRE, 28 JANUARY 2016, 10.20 AM ​

Ladies and gentlemen

Introduction

• I am pleased to join you this morning at the launch of the rejuvenated Chinatown Heritage Centre. 

Need for compelling and differentiated tourism offerings

• This Heritage Centre is an important cultural attraction in the heart of Chinatown. It gives visitors a glimpse into the life of Singapore’s early Chinese migrants, and how Chinatown has evolved to become the thriving heritage precinct it is today. 
• The Chinatown Heritage Centre has been a popular attraction since its opening in 2002, with an average of 150,000 visitors each year[1].  TripAdvisor has awarded it a Certificate of Excellence[2] from 2011 to 2015. 

• Today’s tourists are well-travelled, tech savvy and more discerning. They seek out local products and authentic experiences. Hence, in 2014, STB decided to renovate the Centre, to make it more interactive, immersive and fun. In the refurbished Centre, visitors will be able to walk through a recreated 1950s shop-house and a bustling 1960s Chinatown street market scene. The learning experience will be enhanced with multi-sensory features such as sounds, scents and mood lighting.  

Local community a key ingredient for the Centre’s success

• As we mark the opening of the Chinatown Heritage Centre, it is important to recognise that one of Singapore’s distinctive features is our vibrant multi-cultural society. It is manifest in the way we live, the food we eat, and the festivals we celebrate. For example, many non-Hindu Singaporeans were involved in last Sunday’s Thaipusam procession as participants and volunteers.  Our so called HDB “void” decks are ideal white spaces for diverse community and cultural activities.  In the Chinatown precinct, a mosque, Buddhist temple, and Hindu temple are close neighbours.  We Singaporeans are proud of this heritage; it is also what intrigues and leaves an indelible impression on visitors.  So, the Chinatown Heritage Centre, and other heritage institutions like it, must also serve as a window into the rich multi-hued fabric of Singapore society.  

• Local stakeholders are important partners of the STB in this endeavour to immerse visitors in a quintessentially Singapore experience. The Chinatown Heritage Centre, in fact, is the result of hard work and close collaboration between the local community and government agencies. In particular, I am heartened by the strong support from heritage brands like Tong Heng and On Cheong Jewellery, and civic groups like the Singapore Heritage Society.  They have readily contributed their time, effort, and knowledge to enhance the visitor experience at the Centre. 

Tourism Results

• The need for such collective effort by government agencies and private sector partners is heightened by the current regional and global tourism environment.  The first 6 months of 2015, for instance, were challenging for our tourism sector with lower visitor arrivals from some of our key source markets.  But travel industry partners and STB rallied together and worked tirelessly to market Singapore and develop unique products and events for our Golden Jubilee.  MHA and ICA also extended the validity of Multiple Journey Visas for nationals from the People’s Republic of China, making it more convenient for them to visit Singapore.  This joint effort helped to arrest the downward trend with visitor arrivals picking up in the second half of the year.  Overall, from January to November 2015, Singapore welcomed 13.8 million visitors, a 0.4 per cent increase from the same period in 2014.  The outlook remains challenging and we must persevere with these and other initiatives.

Conclusion

• In closing, let me thank the various government agencies, partners and individuals who have helped to rejuvenate the Chinatown Heritage Centre.  

• I am confident that visitors will have an enriching experience and I am pleased to officially open the rejuvenated Chinatown Heritage Centre.  Thank you.

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