To grow Singaporean tourism over the next half century, the country must invest in new attractions and refresh existing ones, according to the country’s Prime Minister, Lee Hsien Loong.

Speaking at the Tourism50 gala dinner, organised by the Singapore Tourism Board (STB), the Prime Minister said the country has to invest in capabilities, refresh its attractions and deepen its engagement with locals so it can overcome competition from other destinations.

When the STB was formed in 1964, the country only had a handful of tourist attractions. Today the industry is thriving, with the most recent high profile attraction launch being that of the new Madame Tussauds waxwork museum at Sentosa Island Resort.

"To keep Singapore special and to keep tourists coming, we must grow the tourism industry by raising the quality of the experience and the value of every tourist, rather than solely by increasing the visitor numbers," said Loong, who also revealed there were “bold plans” to develop the Mandai area of Singapore – including a new Bird Park, among other unnamed visitor attractions to be developed in the area. The Prime Minister also said that ongoing developments of the Marina Bay and Gardens by the Bay areas were “far from finished” as Singapore looks to boost its tourism income.