How does Singapore sell herself to the rest of the world?

Apparently, one tourism slogan at a time.

Tourism campaigns

Tourism is a major industry in Singapore's economy and the government is always trying to attract tourists to spend their money holidays on our island.

Tourism receipts in 2016 was S$24.6 billion.

To reach those with wanderlust syndrome, tourism campaigns that market Singapore as the ideal destination are conceptualised every few years to keep up with the times.

Just last month, the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) launched their newest campaign -- Passion Made Possible -- to showcase a local side of the country that caters to people's diverse passions.

Read: The reason to visit S’pore is gonna change, big time

Slogans a reflection of the mood and times

Over the last 50 years, Singapore has changed and so have people's travel preferences and expectations.

Tourism slogans are reflective of the current mood locally, as well as a reaction to the world's expectations of what Singapore was, is and should be.

So, let's take a look at how our tourism campaigns have evolved over the years to keep up with the times.

Instant Asia (1964)

The Singapore Tourist Promotion Board (STB's predecessor) was formed in 1964, a year after then Minister for Culture S. Rajaratnam announced that tourism would be a developed as a major industry.

Then Minister for Finance Goh Keng Swee had also said in 1963, that the government would support the promotion of tourism with funding and resources.

The Instant Asia campaign was the STB's first project in promoting Singapore overseas.

The term "Instant Asia" was chosen to promote Singapore as a one-stop destination for experiencing various ethnic cultures (Chinese, Malay, Indian, Others).

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Surprising Singapore (1984)

Based on the observation that tourists often found Singapore different from what they expected, STB launched the Surprising Singapore campaign in 1984, with the slogan: "Singapore the most surprising tropical island on earth".

This was detailed in newspaper articles several years before the campaign was launched officially.

The campaign was meant to depict Singapore as a cosmopolitan city where one can still experience the exotic.

New Asia - Singapore (1995)

The New Asia Singapore campaign in 1995 depicted Singapore as the crossroads of East and West, and tradition and modernity.

By 1995, Singapore was trying to transform herself into a "tourism capital" in order to attract more tourists and hence increase tourism revenue.

The steps to achieving that was laid out in the Tourism 21 blueprint.

Fun fact: The colourful 'ethnic' Chinatown we see today was redeveloped as part of the Tourism 21 plans.

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Uniquely Singapore (2004)

In 1997, STPB was renamed STB which would be the overall coordinator for tourism in Singapore.

The Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) that hit Singapore in 2003 was the trigger that prompted STB to come up with the campaign, Uniquely Singapore, that showcased the uniqueness of Singapore, such as the Great Singapore Sale and Singapore Food Festival.

Your Singapore (2010)

This 2010 campaign highlighted Singapore's dining, shopping, and cultural attractions and offered travellers customised itineraries for their visits here via the Visit Singapore website.

During this period, STB also released tailored campaigns for different countries - the most (in)famous of all would be this one.

Top image from STB.