Marina Bay Sands emerged as the biggest winner at the Singapore Tourism Awards (STA) 2022 organised by the Singapore Tourism Board, with a record haul of five prestigious awards. They include three notable recognition accolades – 'Most Exemplary Employer', 'Special Award for Community Care' and 'Special Award for Sustainability.'
One of the most prestigious awards in the country's tourism industry, the annual Singapore Tourism Awards also honoured the Integrated Resort (IR) for delivering best-in-class experiences at the Sands Expo & Convention Centre with its eighth 'Outstanding Event Venue Experience' award and The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands with its fifth 'Outstanding Shopping Mall Experience' award, a testament to its unrivalled demonstration of business and leisure experiences.
"It is humbling to be recognised by our industry peers at this year's Singapore Tourism Awards. The resilience and adaptability of the Marina Bay Sands team stood the test of time as we navigated through the most challenging period for the tourism industry in the last two years. To emerge victorious with our biggest STA win since our opening is a big encouragement as we move forward to deliver an elevated experience for our guests," said Paul Town, Chief Operating Officer, Marina Bay Sands.
With sustainability at the core of its business, Marina Bay Sands has paved the way for adopting green practices in the tourism and hospitality landscape to reduce overall environmental impact, from leveraging intelligent technologies in its buildings to lowering its carbon footprint. Sands Expo & Convention Centre, the IR's MICE offering, is also Singapore's first carbon-neutral MICE venue.
Over the last two years of the pandemic, the IR remained committed to protecting the jobs and livelihood of its nearly 10,000 employees, retaining jobs without salary cuts and employing impactful policies that actively encouraged employees to upskill. Employees were also given opportunities to help the community through Sands Cares, Marina Bay Sands' community engagement programme built on the foundation of driving impact and inspiring change.
Throughout 2021, over 8,300 volunteer hours through 34 community events were funnelled into supporting over 24,600 beneficiaries with different needs. This is more than double the volunteer hours in 2020 despite a more constraining environment due to safety management measures. Team Members were involved in activities such as alleviating food insecurity via food drives and tackling social isolation among seniors, packing over 20,000 hygiene kits for seniors, low-income families and migrant workers in Singapore and supporting disaster resiliency beyond the shores.
