From “Instant Asia” to “Multi-Faceted Jewel”: Urban Imaging Strategies and Tourism Development in Singapore

In order to develop their tourism industry and attract visitors, urban destination sites often adopt imaging strategies. These marketing and promotional tools often portray the cities as unique and distinct from other urban areas. In Singapore, different tourism images have been deployed over time—for example, the “Instant Asia” theme in the 1960s and 1970s, the “Surprising Singapore” image in the 1980s, and the “Multi-Faceted Jewel” motif in the 1990s. This paper argues that tourism imaging is a dynamic process not only because promotional campaigns have evolved over time but also because they are shaped by diverse global and local forces at different points in time. On the one hand, such images attempt to capture the imagination and interests of international tourists, and on the other hand they fulfill local objectives such as providing Singaporeans a sense of national identity and selfhood. Simply put, urban imaging policies embody both economic goals and sociopolitical functions and are directed at both visitors and residents. This paper illustrates the relationship between these economic and political forces over the last 40 years in Singapore.