International – Connectivity, reputation
Situated in the heart of South-East Asia, Singapore is at the cross-roads of international travel, with 4 billion people within a 7-hour flight radius. It offers visitors an intriguing fusion of many cultures from East and West. Singapore ranks first in the world for city infrastructure (Mercer 2017) and the safest city in the world after Tokyo (The Economist Intelligence Unit 2017). It is a progressive, modern and secular democracy with an excellent record of racial and religious integration and harmony.
It is an island nation with a population of 5.6 million people, comprising of mostly Chinese, Malay and Indian ethnicities, with English as the main language of communication. Singapore is a global financial, business, medical and scientific centre, and renowned for high standards of governance, transparency and efficiency.
The World Congress of Dermatology (WCD) has never been held in this part of the world, we are pleased to put forward our plans to host WCD 2023, under the theme “Dermatology Beyond Borders”.
We envision a meeting that covers wide-ranging topics in dermatology, across scientific, medical and social realms. If granted the opportunity, we aim to achieve an educational, diverse and inclusive conference that embodies the spirit of a truly international dermatology community.
Travelling in and Around Singapore
Over 16 million international visitors arrived in 2016. It is served by more than 100 airlines, with over 7,000 flights a week connecting it with over 380 cities across 90 countries. Changi Airport is widely acclaimed as a leader in efficiency, connectivity, passenger facilities and comfort. It was voted World’s Best Airport and Airport of the Year for the 10th time (World Airport Awards) in 2019, and Top International Airport for the 6th consecutive year (Travel & Leisure) in 2018.
Singapore is a major air, sea and telecommunications hub in Asia.
Singapore Airlines has been considered among the Top 3 airlines consistently in the past 11 years (Skytrax) and was named Top International Airline in 2018 (Skyrax, Travel & Leisure). Most visitors do not require visas to enter the country. For those who do, it will typically take 1 to 3 days to process applications.
Transportation within the city is convenient and hassle-free: traffic jams are rare, public transport is efficient and inexpensive.
Singapore is also the perfect springboard to explore the wonderful attractions in neighbouring countries. Direct flights from Changi Airport to a host of South-East Asian cities make holiday resorts, historical landmarks and cultural centres easily accessible for a pre or post conference vacation. Destinations include Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Malacca, Kota Kinabalu, Jakarta, Bali, Lombok, Phnom Penh, Siam Reap, Luang Prabang, Bangkok, Phuket, Koh Samui, Yangon, Mandalay, Ho Chi Ming City, Hanoi, Danang, Manila, Palawan and Cebu.
World-Class, Infrastructure, Service
Conference Venues
There are 3 major convention facilities in or near the city centre that could easily meet the needs of WCD 2023. In addition, there is a wide range of accommodation for delegates, with 70,000 hotel rooms in the city available by 2020.
Singapore was named as the Most Welcoming City on Earth in 2017. Multiple accolades bear testament to Singapore’s reputation as a superb conference location. These include Best BT MICE City (TTG Travel Awards 2018), Top Asia Pacific Meeting Destination (Top 25 Asia Pacific Destinations 2018) and Top Asia Pacific Convention City for the 16th consecutive year (International Congress and Convention Association Global Rankings 2017).
Singapore holds tremendous appeal for Asian delegates: the top 5 MICE visitor markets are China, India, Indonesia, Japan, and Malaysia.