|
SINGAPORE has been named as a stopover port for next year's Volvo Ocean Race, the world's premier event for 70-foot racing yachts.
While the battle between the yachts takes place on the high seas, the race will be a great opportunity for Singapore to market itself to millions of eyeballs worldwide as they follow the race's progress.
Apart from the Formula One car race on land, Singapore has been trying to bring international air and sea races here. These mega events bring spinoffs to the economy and will help to boost tourism receipts.
The Straits Times understands that talks to bring the world-famous Red Bull Air Race to town in 2009 are still underway.
But Singapore has clinched the Volvo Ocean Race.
An agreement to anchor the race here is due to be signed next Monday between One15 Singapore Ocean Race, which is sponsored by the One15 marina on Sentosa, and Volvo Event Management, a company based in Fareham, a port in the south of England, which helms the race's route and schedule.
In an earlier interview with The Straits Times, Ms Lizzie Ward, the event's press officer, said Singapore will be one of about a dozen ports on the race route. The event is due to weigh anchor from Alicante in Spain next October, and will finished in St Petersburg, Russia, 10 months later.
On the importance of stopover ports, Ms Ward said: 'The ports chosen contribute a huge amount to the event in terms of tangibles that are needed to make the event work: superb promotional campaigns to attract the public in their thousands, first class race village environments for the public to enjoy the many facets of the race in port, excellent facilities for the sailors and their shore crews to work on their boats, and of course the high-quality hotel accommodation, restaurants and leisure facilities.'
Next week's ceremony caps discussions that began in mid 2006. Government agencies including the Singapore Tourism Board, Singapore Sports Council and even the Public Utilities Board were later roped in to support.
Ms Ward explained that the race will generate 'massive media coverage throughout the 10-month duration' - across TV, print publications, Internet, radio and mobile platforms.
'With 50 per cent of the entire race spent in and around the ports, and the remainder of the time spent trying to get to those ports as fast as possible, there are significant opportunities for global media,'' she said.
| 
