The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) yesterday opened a food fair at the night market, hoping to whet Taiwanese' appetite for the Singapore Food Festival, which will take place in Singapore between July 4 and 27.

The three-day food fair features signature Singapore dishes such as laksa, Hainanese chicken rice and chilli crabs.

Three stalls were manned by hawkers flown in from Singapore, while the remaining four stalls were operated by Taipei-based Singapore restaurants.

'Most of my ingredients, including the marinated meat, were specially flown in from Singapore,' said satay hawker Wong Kam Sooi, 38.

STB is coming up with more creative ways to woo Taiwanese, who are tightening their purse strings amid stagnant incomes, rising costs and higher airfares.

A combination of factors - including a stronger Singapore dollar and higher accommodation costs - has also made Singapore an increasingly expensive destination for the average Taiwanese.

Some 208,000 Taiwanese tourists travelled to Singapore last year - a 5 per cent dip compared with 2006.

But prior to that, between 2004 and 2006, arrivals from Taiwan had witnessed 20 per cent growth.

Some 8.9 million Taiwanese travelled abroad last year, with Japan and Hong Kong being the top destinations, according to Taiwan's official statistics. The figure does not include Taiwanese travelling to mainland China.

Within South-east Asia, Thailand is the most popular destination, with more than 353,000 Taiwanese travelling there last year.

'There is no distinct Singapore identity that Taiwanese can connect with. Nothing as striking as what the Great Wall is to China,' STB Taiwan area director Mark Ng told The Straits Times.

'But we like food, and they like food. That is why we thought of marrying local fare with a very distinctive Singapore identity with Taiwan's famous night market culture,' he said.

In a mature tourism market like Taiwan, a focus for STB is to attract repeat visitors.

'Taiwanese see Singapore as a very good family destination. It's safe and clean,' said Mr Ng.

'But they need to be continually reminded that there are new attractions coming up in Singapore, like the Singapore Flyer and the integrated resorts.

'Singapore may not be able to compete on price, but we hope to promote it as a value-for-money destination,' he added.

The mini food fair, staged at the main entrance of the Raohe night market, attracted a fair share of curious onlookers yesterday.

'Singapore is a tourist-friendly city which is great for shopping and food. It's a place I would like to visit again,' said media executive Yang Meng-hsien, who last visited Singapore 10 years ago.

But for some Taiwanese, it would take more than food to convince them to pay a second visit.

Civil servant Mike Chang, who visited Singapore eight years ago, said: 'I really love the chicken rice and bak kut teh. But I would rather spend on trips to other places I have yet to visit.'

hwee@sph.com.sg