The Singapore government has announced a $270 million (£135 million) boost to the tourism industry.
Funding will be provided in an effort to bolster Singapore's tourism industry amid concern over rising competition from Hong Kong and China.
Singapore's manpower minister Ng Eng Hen told the Straits Times: "Don't forget our neighbors have got cheaper land, less expensive building costs and lower costs of labor as well, so they can compete."
The money will be used to fund the Tourism Talent Plan scheme, through which it is hoped 74,000 Singapore nationals can be trained up for tourism jobs over the next three years.
Singapore is hoping to double its tourist visitor numbers to 17 million by 2015. There has been a 7.1 per cent increase in September's visits compared to September 2006.
Becoming increasingly popular, over five million Europeans and over half a million Brits flocked to China in 2006, an increase of nearly ten per cent in foreign visitors compared to 2005.
