The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) has officially announced the appointment of Marissa Sim as the Area Director for Northern and Southwestern Europe. In this capacity, she will oversee strategic planning, business development initiatives, trade engagement, and marketing efforts for Singapore in the regions of Northern and Southwestern Europe, which include the United Kingdom, Ireland, Spain, Portugal, and the Nordic countries. Ms. Sim will begin her new role on December 1, 2024.
Prior to this appointment, Ms. Sim served as the Assistant Director of Hospitality Industry Development in Singapore, where she collaborated closely with hotel partners to facilitate business recovery and implement enterprise transformation strategies in the aftermath of COVID-19, with an emphasis on technological innovation and sustainability. During her tenure, she was pivotal in encouraging hotels to adopt and innovate new technological solutions. Additionally, she contributed significantly to the creation of the Hotel Sustainability Roadmap in collaboration with the Singapore Hotel Association.
In her remarks regarding her new appointment, Ms. Sim stated: “I consider it a great honor to assume this position, particularly given the significance of the European market for Singapore’s tourism sector. I aim to sustain the robust growth in tourism that has been observed over the past year. As of October 2024, visitor arrivals from the United Kingdom have increased by over 26% year-on-year, totaling 486,690 visitors, while arrivals from Spain have risen by more than 18% year-on-year, reaching 58,820 visitors. I am eager to collaborate closely with market partners to maintain this upward growth trend and to welcome an increasing number of visitors who wish to engage with Singapore’s remarkable experiences and offerings, especially as we commemorate 60 years of independence next year.”
Ms. Sim has been employed by the Singapore Tourism Board since 2013. Before assuming her position as Assistant Director of Hospitality Industry Development, she was assigned to the Ministry of Trade and Industry within the North America and Europe Division, where she worked to enhance economic and trade relations with significant government and business stakeholders from those regions.
Ms. Sim succeeds the current Area Director, Mr. Michael Rodriguez, who is returning to Singapore to accept a new position.
