SINGAPORE — Fun is serious business here and the Republic’s attractions will need to be refreshed to head off competition from regional players, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong reiterated yesterday at the official opening of the River Safari. The Government is doing its part, he said, with almost S$1 billion set aside in a Tourism Development Fund to help develop new tourism projects, fund new events for leisure and business and upgrade the whole industry.
However, money alone will not do, as the human touch is also important, he stressed. “Tourism is not just about money. It’s a high-touch industry … Technology can help us overcome manpower constraints, but technology can never fully replace the warmth of people-to-people interaction,” Mr Lee said.
The Ministry of Trade and Industry is studying how the Government can do more to give workers the skills and knowledge to do well in the tourism sector.
He noted that the tourism landscape had completely changed over the last 50 years. Singapore needs to continually refresh its attractions and events by enhancing the tourism experience and upgrading the sector as consumers’ tastes will change, facilities and attractions will age and more competitors from other destinations will be stepping up their game.
Upgrading efforts will involve companies, which must provide more interesting and varied options to meet the needs of more discerning travellers. Workers, too, must deliver higher-quality service to meet higher expectations, he added. “Because fun is a serious business in Singapore,” Mr Lee said.
He noted that travellers are also increasingly becoming spoilt for choice and are not attracted only by iconic buildings or infrastructure. Instead, they are looking for good, unique and different experiences that are customised to their interests.
“Therefore, we have to complement our hardware with good software, imaginative projects, which would create unforgettable experiences and make you want to come back for more visits,” he said.
Preliminary estimates by the Singapore Tourism Board showed that while the Republic last year welcomed a record number of visitors who spent a record amount, tourism spending also saw its slowest growth since 2009. The sector contributes to 4 per cent of Singapore’s gross domestic product.
Mr Lee cited Wildlife Reserves Singapore (WRS) and its wildlife parks as examples of how the tourism sector must continue to move forward — by providing more exciting experiences for visitors, enriching cultural diversity and making Singapore an even better place to live, work and play.
Since the River Safari’s soft opening in April last year, Asia’s first and only river-themed wildlife park has attracted more than 1.1 million visitors from over the world. Together with the Singapore Zoo and the Night Safari, the River Safari is located within the Mandai nature cluster and houses around 6,000 animal specimens, including the giant river otter, Mekong giant catfish and resident giant pandas, Kai Kai and Jia Jia.
The River Safari is looking to expand and bring in more water species in future, said WRS Chairman Claire Chiang. “What we have to do is constantly renew the existing paths, looking at more species to enhance the collection,” she added.
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