Perhaps a good time to visit would be in Apr...(Good Friday) for the food tours.

THE Singapore Tourism Board (STB) has launched a six-month drive to introduce Singapore’s local cuisine to the world in a bid to reach the hearts of potential tourists through their stomachs.

Named Let’s Makan (eat), the drive will be complemented by a slew of publicity and promotional activities locally and in the target markets of Australia, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and the UK.

To help market the event, the board has collated a list of 10 “must-trys” including chilli crab and black pepper crab, Hainanese chicken rice, fish-head curry, laksa and satay. The board said it hopes to establish a strong association between these dishes and Singapore as a destination in the same way that dim sum is associated with Hong Kong and tom yum with Thailand.

Visitors can pick up a copy of a 72-page food guide Makan Delights – An Insider’s Guide to Singapore’s Unique Flavours, which will be available at Singapore Changi Airport, Singapore Visitors Centres, tourist attractions, hotels and STB’s regional offices worldwide. The guide is available in English, Chinese, Japanese and Bahasa Indonesia.

Local food tours are also being developed together with the F&B industry and will be launched in April. Signboards with dining tips and insights to local hawker fare will soon be available at popular food centres. Visitors to Singapore spend 13 per cent of their total expenditure on F&B, which translates to S$700 million a year (US$412 million).

Meanwhile, STB deputy chairman and chief executive, Mr Lim Neo Chian has stepped down from his other role as chairman of the Jurong Town Council (JTC). Mr Lim was appointed CEO of JTC in 1995 before becoming its chairman in 1998.