Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Discuss the tourism roles and economic value of the festival/event

Place Marketing

The roles of place marketing are to create positive images of a place and to attract residents and investors. Also, it seeks to improve the quality of life of the people in that particular place.

For the Singapore Biennale 2008, the emphasis is placed on the former. This event acts as a platform for Singapore to show the World that it embraces art and wants to be recognised as a city where contemporary art is celebrated. More than just the economic value that it brings to Singapore, the event is able to market Singapore as a modern and versatile city which is capable of hosting such events. Most importantly, the event allows Singapore to be showcased to foreign visitors and to build up our reputation as an arts and cultural hub.






On the other hand, the Biennale is also able to improve the quality of life of the locals in Singapore. Even though the quality of life of Singaporeans is fairly high, the Biennale can help cultivate us as more cultured people who would know how to appreciate art. As this major contemporary art exhibition is held in Singapore, the locals are then able to be immersed in the world of arts. This then improves the entire quality of a person as they become more knowledgeable and educated about art.

Catalyst


The role of a catalyst is to stimulate infrastructure, assist urban renewal, stimulate business/trade and support other attractions.


For the Biennale, infrastructure was stimulated when the Containart Pavilion was built specially for the purpose of this event. According to the Biennale website, this site is not going to be torn down after the event. Instead, it will be used as a future public attraction which would house retail, food and beverage, recreational, entertainment outlets and possibly convention halls. As it is in a prime location immediately adjacent to the Marina Bay Residences, it will be highly favoured. Thus, this infrastructure would not become obsolete with conclusion of the event.






Another role of the catalyst is to support other attractions and in this case, the Biennale is able to support the Singapore Flyer and even the City Hall. With the e
xhibits being displayed on board the Flyer, visitors will be able to observe for themselves the breathtaking view while appreciating art around them. Furthermore, the Singapore Flyer, a giant observation wheel which is set to be Asia’s most visible iconic visitor attraction, will be known among the foreign visitors. The Biennale also held one of the many exhibitions at the City Hall. As such, visitors will be able to understand more about the history of Singapore as they explore within the City Hall. As part of the transformation of Singapore’s civic district into a bustling arts and cultural hub, the City Hall will be converted into a world class, state-of-the-art national art gallery by the year 2013.



Lastly, a catalyst stimulates urban renewal and this relates to the exhibition at the South Beach Development. It was initially given conservation status since 2002. However, this place, which was formally used as the headquarters of Singapore’s volunteer defence forces, has now been revitalised. By 2012, it will feature 2 towers of 45 storeys which will house premium offices, two luxury hotels, exquisite retail space and exclusive city residences. This is thus, a great example of how the Biennale has stimulated urban renewal.

As infrastructure and urban renewal is being stimulated, constructi
on for the various building projects will then be required. This in turns helps to stimulate the economy as more jobs are available in order to assist the building projects. Also, with the rise in these infrastructures, more business and companies are able to expand with the increase in office space. Hence, trade and businesses are able to be stimulated.



Animator

As an animator, its main purpose is to encourage first and repeat visits at facilities, resorts and attractions.

In the case of the Biennale, it would be a first visit to many of the attractions for many of the foreign tourists who came for purposes of leisure, business and others. This may even be true for locals who may not have visited sites like the South Beach Development. By exposing the Biennale visitors to the popular attractions such as the Singapore Flyer and also, the not so known location like the South Beach Development or the Central Promontory Site, they would allow the visitors to be firstly aware of these places in Singapore. Only when people are aware of these attractions and facilities can they do a repeat visit. Hence, the Biennale which will be held once every 2 years can then encourage visitors to do repeated visits.



When visitors are persuaded that it is worthwhile to repeatedly visit a place, this then brings in economic value for the place as well. Tourism receipts will begin to increase as foreign tourists stay for longer periods and also when locals pay admission fees to enter the various attractions or facilities.

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