Before Lucky Plaza was built in 1977, Champion Motors stood at 304 Orchard Road. The move-in of Champion Motors transformed Orchard Road into Singapore’s ‘Motor Row’, displaying branded automobiles along the streets, and introducing the first-ever Volkswagen into Singapore. This form of brandishing signified the growing wealth in Singapore after the Second World War.

The 1960s heralded the explosive growth of the mass commercial aviation, facilitating the in-flow of tourists across the world. This helped the State to identify the tourist market as having a massive growth potential – boost income, job and trade opportunities, and in 1963, the former Minister for Culture S. Rajaratnam, announced plans to develop tourism as a major industry in Singapore. Thus, the newly-formed STPB was appointed to carry out this massive plan. However, the private sector faced the challenge of limited resources to promote Singapore abroad as a tourist destination. This led to the State’s effort to increase its funding for the development of the tourism industry in Singapore. One of the first places to be developed was the area of Orchard Road, where many hotels were erected. Therefore, beginning in the 1960s, Orchard Road began to undergo massive transformation, and the area was zoned for retail. By the early 1970s, Orchard Road had already attained its status as the ‘IN’ shopping area and gained an international recognition as a shopping paradise in Singapore.

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