Ong Huey Hong of Singapore Tourism Board First Recipient of the Rama Rebbapragada Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Cruise Industry in Asia

SINGAPORE and NEW YORK, Oct. 9, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Michael Bayley, President and CEO, Celebrity Cruises presented the inaugural Rama Rebbapragada Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Cruise Industry in Asia tonight during the Cruise Shipping Asia-Pacific Welcome Reception in Singapore.

Joined on stage by Rebbapragada's wife Patricia, Bayley presented the award to Ms. Ong Huey Hong, Director, Cruise with the Singapore Tourism Board, in recognition of her influential role in the development of Singapore's Marina Bay Cruise Centre, which has proven to be a catalyst in transforming Singapore's cruise landscape. Among her multiple achievements, Huey Hong actively pushed for the creation of the Cruise Development Fund to accelerate deployment in the region, not only helping to grow Singapore's cruise industry, but creating economic benefits for neighboring countries with the increasing numbers of ships calling in Southeast Asia. In addition, Ong identified the need to grow the distribution channels, working closely with the Asia Cruise Association to expand the pool of cruise specialists in key source markets including India, Indonesia and the Philippines.

"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," said Bayley.

The Cruise Shipping Asia-Pacific conference and trade show will continue tomorrow with a full day of concurrent sessions, CLIA Australasia travel agent training, and networking on the trade show floor.  Conference session details can be found at cruiseshippingasia.com or by clicking here.

Visitors may register to attend on site at the Sands Expo and Convention Centre at the Marina Bay Sands.

WHERE: Marina Bay Sands, Singapore. For more information, visit www.marinabaysands.com .

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The Cruise Shipping Portfolio
The Cruise Shipping Portfolio organized by UBM Live includes Cruise Shipping Miami, Cruise Shipping Asia-Pacific and Seatrade Med. Since 1985 Cruise Shipping Miami has been the world's premier annual event for the global cruise industry, featuring a three-day exhibition and four-day conference that draw more than 11,000 attendees and over 1,000 exhibiting companies from more than 130 countries.

About UBM Live
UBM Live connects people and creates opportunities for companies across five continents to develop new business, meet customers, launch new products, promote their brands and expand their markets. Through premier brands such as Routes, CPhI, IFSEC, TFM&A, Cruise Shipping Miami, the Concrete Show and many others, UBM Live exhibitions, conferences, awards programs, publications, websites and training and certification programs are an integral part of the marketing plans of companies across more than 20 industry sectors.

About UBM Asia (www.ubmasia.com)
Owned by UBM plc listed on the London Stock Exchange, UBM Asia is Asia's leading exhibition organizer and the biggest commercial organizer in mainland China, India and Malaysia. Established with its headquarters in Hong Kong and subsidiary companies across Asia and in the US, UBM Asia has a strong global network of 30 offices and over 1,200 staff in 25 major cities. We operate in 19 market sectors with 160 exhibitions, 75 conferences, 28 trade publications, 18 vertical portals and virtual event services for over 1,000,000 quality exhibitors, visitors, conference delegates, advertisers and subscribers from all over the world.

About Seatrade
Connecting the global cruise community – www.seatrade-global.com   
Established 40 years ago, Seatrade is a leader in cruise and maritime publications, conferences and exhibitions, training, awards and other special projects. Regular events include international trade exhibitions and conferences across all maritime sectors, management training courses for shipping professionals, training seminars for travel agents and award schemes, including the Seatrade Insider Cruise Awards. Seatrade publications include magazines, supplements and yearbooks, whilst Seatrade Insider provides daily cruise news online at www.seatrade-insider.com

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SOURCE Cruise Shipping Asia-Pacific