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Will Zika impact Singapore's tourism ahead of Grand Prix?

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To say that Zika has rocked the nation would be an understatement. In just a span of two weeks, 242 cases have been reported in various clusters around the island. This has sparked widespread concern across the nation.Local authorities have responded swiftly, launching videos on its social platforms about the Zika virus, how it is transmitted and what expectant mothers need to take note of when it comes to preventive measures.When reach out to by Marketing, a spokesperson from the National Environmental Agency (NEA) confirmed that awareness initiatives taken so far to educate the public on the spread of Zika has been coordinated by the Ministry of Communications & Information (MCI) on the Gov.sg platform.Check out some of the government produced videos informing on the Zika virus:Despite measures being taken locally, according to multiple news sources overseas countries such as Korea, Taiwan and Australia have issued travel advisories to pregnant female citizens intending to travel to Singapore.This comes during the time when Singapore is set to experience its greatest influx of tourists given that the nation's biggest sporting event, the Singapore GP, is set to launch next week. In a statement given to Marketing, a Singapore GP spokesperson said:Preparations for the Singapore Grand Prix are on track and are proceeding as per normal.The spokesperson added that organisers will continue to work with all relevant government agencies and implement recommended precautionary measures necessary. The GP spokesperson however did not comment if the organisation saw cancellations due to the rise of Zika.Meanwhile Singapore Tourism Board's executive director, communications and marketing capability, Oliver Chong said there has been no "perceivable impact" of Zika on Singapore tourism thus far, with only a handful of cancellations.“Singapore remains a safe travel destination. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has not recommended travel restrictions to Zika affected countries,” Chong told Marketing. He added that the STB is working closely with both in-market tourism and travel partners to ensure that there will be necessary mitigating measures and communications plans in place to address concerns by visitors.Additionally, STB’s frontline operations such as its call centres and Singapore visitor centres have been monitoring daily visitor feedback and queries on the Zika outbreak.“Singapore has a robust system in place to manage Zika in the community, with the mainstay being vector (mosquito) control. WHO has also described Singapore’s handling of the Zika virus as a ‘role model’ for other countries,” Chong added.Agreeing with STB is Michael Banner, general manager at Mccann Health Singapore, who said that an outbreak of Zika is unlikely to have a huge impact on tourism or Singapore’s image as a whole from a healthcare perspective.“Singapore is known to have some of the finest hospitals, with the most advanced technologies, in the region. It has responded well to the outbreak so far, acting swiftly to identify patients, pathways of transmission and the specific strain of Zika we are seeing here, and this is reassuring,” Banner added.As with any outbreak, Banner said that the most important weapon is effective communication, and Singapore has excelled in that arena with timely, open and transparent communications to the general public and the healthcare community both locally and regionally. McCann's Banner added:The need for the global health community to share innovative prevention and awareness ideas is now more important than ever to stay ahead of the rapid movement of new diseases across the globe.VJ T. Yamat, managing director of Havas Life SEA agrees. From a healthcare communication perspective, Singapore is once again "showing excellence and commitment" in terms of communicating clear, extensive, and updated public health information for locals and visitors.“As part of the global community, Singapore has been very transparent in terms of reporting its current Zika status and has been active and unrelenting in providing locals and visitors with clear guidelines and specific counter measures,” Yamat said, adding:Brands in crisis situations attain respect by being honest, proactive and accessible. And Brand Singapore is doing just that.

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