SPEECH BY MR S ISWARAN, MINISTER FOR TRADE AND INDUSTRY (INDUSTRY) AT THE CHRISTENING CEREMONY OF SEABOURN ENCORE ON SATURDAY, 7 JANUARY 2017, 9.00PM AT MARINA BAY CRUISE CENTRE SINGAPORE
Mr Arnold Donald, Chief Executive Officer of Carnival Corporation
Mr Stein Kruse, Chief Executive Officer of the Holland America Group
Mr Richard Meadows, President of Seabourn Cruise Line
Distinguished guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
1. A very good evening. It is my pleasure to join you this evening for the christening of Seabourn Encore in Singapore.
SEABOURN CRUISE LINE & CARNIVAL CORPORATION’S ROLE IN SINGAPORE
2. Seabourn Encore is the latest addition to the Seabourn fleet, and its most innovative and luxurious vessel to date. I understand that it features highly personalised services for each of its 600 guests, private relaxation cabanas, and world-class dining offerings by three-star Michelin chef Thomas Keller. Its inaugural presence in Singapore for this auspicious event marks yet another milestone in the strong and growing relationship between Singapore, Seabourn and the Carnival Corporation.
3. Carnival plays a significant role in Singapore’s cruise industry, contributing more than a fifth of our total ship calls per year. Singapore is pleased to be the homeport for many of Carnival’s best-loved brands, including Princess Cruises and Costa Crocieré. In 2013, we welcomed the establishment of Carnival’s regional headquarters in Singapore. Today, we are very pleased to welcome yet another vessel from Carnival’s luxury line, Seabourn, to our ports.
SOUTHEAST ASIA – THE DESTINATION OF CHOICE FOR CRUISING
4. Seabourn is a pioneer in the new age of ultra-luxury cruising, introducing concepts such as the Seabourn Square, an integrated space for relaxation, and bringing in innovative experiences such as Shopping with the Chef – where guests are invited on excursions to local markets with a Seabourn chef. Seabourn’s extensive sailing itinerary in Southeast Asia is also testament to this region’s rising appeal to sophisticated travellers. The growing Asian affluent and middle-class have increasing interest in luxury cruising in this region. By 2020, 3.8 million annual passengers are expected to cruise in Asia. Southeast Asia stands to significantly benefit from this burgeoning interest.
5. Southeast Asia allows cruisers to take advantage of an ideal combination of year-round favourable climate, pristine coast lines, and a wealth of diverse cultural and historical sites, all while enjoying the quality comforts and amenities aboard the vessel. This region is well-positioned to continue benefitting from Asia’s growing interest in cruising.
6. Cruise passenger volumes in Asia have increased by about 40% since 2012, and are expected to keep growing. Within Southeast Asia, the middle-class population is projected to reach 400 million by 2020, more than double that in 2012. The spending power of the Southeast Asian middle-class is expected to rise rapidly, especially among Singapore’s top visitor markets such as Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines. In 2015, more than half of these visitors to Singapore were from the middle to affluent classes. STB is focusing its efforts on attracting more of such visitors, with higher disposable incomes and a greater propensity to travel, from these markets.
THE SINGAPORE ADVANTAGE – PRO-ACTIVE AND PRO-BUSINESS
7. With excellent air connectivity and an exciting array of tourism offerings, Singapore is the homeport of choice in Southeast Asia. Cruise lines such as Seabourn can leverage on Singapore’s strengths to capture a discerning clientele that is constantly on the lookout for premium and authentic travel experiences.
8. Singapore also takes the lead in facilitating dialogues among the ASEAN Member States to accelerate critical port development and cruise promotion in the region. To date, Singapore has inked MOUs with ASEAN partners Vietnam, Indonesia and Thailand to boost cruise tourism. Singapore will also be hosting the inaugural ASEAN cruise dialogue for ASEAN ministers in a fortnight’s time.
9. Beyond our strong infrastructure and breadth of high quality experiences, Singapore has long been recognised as one of the best cities for business. In 2015, Singapore topped the World Bank’s ranking as the world’s premier location for ease of doing business. Our home-grown Sembcorp Marine is Asia-Pacific’s leading provider of ship repair and refurbishment services. It is synonymous with timeliness and reliability, making it the shipyard of choice for providing year-round support.
10. Overall, Singapore’s transparency and good corporate governance practices make it an attractive business environment and base from which global companies such as Carnival Corporation can grow.
SYNERGIES BETWEEN SINGAPORE AND CARNIVAL CORPORATION
11. Singapore, in turn, stands to benefit from Carnival’s presence and its diverse portfolio of cruise lines, which positions Singapore as a vibrant and exciting destination for travellers from all walks of life. I hope, therefore, that both Singapore and the cruise lines will continue to work closely together to tap into the growth potential of the region. In particular, we are pleased to partner Carnival Corporation to champion cruise industry development and innovation in Southeast Asia.
CONCLUSION
12. To conclude, let me reiterate that I am delighted to welcome both Seabourn Encore and Seabourn Sojourn to Singapore, and I look forward to many more significant milestones in our partnership. Thank you.