In the U.S., where the idea of using federal funds to promote and attract non-U.S. tourists and meeting attendees is indeed foreign, the tiny city-state of Singapore stands out as an Asian powerhouse by offering U.S. associations extensive support to bring their events there.

The Singapore Tourism Board has launched a campaign to triple its tourism receipts and double the number of visitors by 2015. The STB wlll spend a whopping $106 million in the development of business events in the next four years alone.

Along the way it fully intends to become the “Brussels of Asia,” says Aloysius Arlando, assistant chief executive of the business travel and meetings group for the STB, comparing Singapore to the Belgium capital, which has become the association headquarters of Europe. Arlando points to “our strategic location, five to seven hours from China or India” as the best reason to hold meetings in Singapore, capitalizing on the tremendous growth in outbound travelers from those countries.

To that end, the STB is offering U.S. and international associations that meet certain criteria grants to underwrite the marketing of events, speaker's fees, or other program enhancements. It can also assist qualified associations that want to establish regional offices.

Arlando says the Marina Bays Sands, which will offer about two million square feet of meeting space, new restaurants, shops, and hotels, including Singapore's first casino when it opens in 2009, is a major draw. For more, visit www.visitsingapore.com.