SINGAPORE Tourism Board’s director of cruise Ong Huey Hong is the first recipient of the inaugural Rama Rebbapragada Award for outstanding contribution to the cruise industry in Asia, presented last night at the Cruise Shipping Asia-Pacific conference. The award recognised her influential role in the development of Singapore’s Marina Bay...
SINGAPORE Tourism Board’s director of
cruise Ong Huey Hong is the first recipient of
the inaugural Rama Rebbapragada Award for
outstanding contribution to the cruise industry
in Asia, presented last night at the Cruise
Shipping Asia-Pacific conference.
The award recognised her influential role
in the development of Singapore’s Marina
Bay Cruise Centre as well as the Cruise
Development Fund set up to accelerate
deployment in the region.
Michael Bayley, president and ceo, Celebrity
Cruises, who handed out the award at the
welcome reception at Marina Bay Sands, paid
tribute to Huey Hong’s efforts to help grow
Singapore’s cruise industry as well as creating
economic benefits for neighbouring countries.
Huey Hong also identified the need to grow
distribution channels and worked closely
with the Asia Cruise Association to expand
the number of cruise specialists in key source
markets such as India and Indonesia, he said.
The award was named after Royal
Caribbean’s vice president international, who
died last year after a long career devoted to
the development of Asia-Pacific cruising.
“Like Rama, Huey Hong is a clear advocate
and champion for the cruise industry, and
exemplifies the values Rama demonstrated to
all of us over two decades,” Bayley said.
Rebbapragada’s wife Patricia also joined
Bayley and Huey Hong on stage.
