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The
Business Times, 16 Apr 04
Insider's view of Singapore tourism
By Uma Shankari
WELL-KNOWN tourism figure Pamelia Lee is retiring as STB Consultancy's
senior director after 13 years.
She will still play a key role in the industry, however, by working
with Sentosa Development Corp to develop the Southern Islands.
In addition, she will continue to be involved in the Singapore Tourism
Board's efforts to set up an exhibition centre at Haw Par Villa to
show how the Chinese diaspora have made their home outside China.
Having served the board in various positions for 26 years, Mrs Lee
is well qualified to discuss Singapore's tourism industry, and she
explores her long love affair with it in her new book, Singapore,
Tourism & Me. It takes readers from her country of birth, Hawaii,
to her transplant to Singapore after marriage and her passionate involvement
with Singapore's tourism marketing and development.
Mrs Lee describes her book as 'thought-provoking but not so heavy'.
She sees tourism continuing to play an important role in Singapore's
economy. But she warns that emerging markets China and India could
overwhelm other tourist spots. As such, the key issue in future will
be management.
Mrs Lee believes Singapore's strength still lies in its 'Singapore
story'. 'There will always be people who love a comfortable place.
And if we couple this with medical facilities and education, then
we'll always have a place in the world,' she said. |
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