Essay: Tourism In Singapore - Current Issues & Future Developments.

Current Issues in Singapore

The report focuses on identifying the current issues affecting Singapore and its impacts on the tourism industry of the region. Further, it would focus on understanding and evaluating the different technological and strategic developments that are being generated in the tourism market of Singapore and its fallout in attracting potential tourists and revenue in the region. Use of an empirical model is also being planned for evaluating the situation of the tourism market of Singapore.

In one of the latest new concerning events held in Singapore, the country would be hosting the Formula One Singapore Grand Prix event for a period of four consecutive years. The 10^th Edition of the Grand Prix based in Singapore would be hosted during the night which would contribute in creating an effective blend of partying atmosphere with promotion of business opportunities in the region. The blend of Formula One and Singaporean region is taken to promote needed success. The Grand Prix event based in Singapore is observed to have gained needed popularity as a F1 race. Further, the Grand Prix racing event being held during the nighttime at Marina Bay is taken to attract considerable number of tourists and business opportunities in the region. The race is coupled with other events like business meets and conferences that is envisioned to draw potential number of business tourists. The cost of organizing the Grand Prix event is estimated to cost around $135 million (Meng, 2017).

In terms of positive influences the holding of the Grand Prix event in Singapore during 2017 and during prior periods had helped in the flow of around 450,000 international tourists. The flow of international tourists to the region had contributed to the generation of around $1.4 billion as tourism receipts (Meng, 2017). The holding of the Grand Prix sporting event during 2017 coupled with the performance of entertainers like Mariah Carey and Beyonce Knowles is taken to account for the growth of flow of international tourists to the region. The number of tourists visiting the Singaporean market is estimated by the Singaporean Tourism Board to increase by around 2 percent during 2017. During 2016, the growth of flow of international tourists to Singapore was estimated to have gained a growth by 7.7 percent owing to the flow of tourists from different international Asian markets like Indonesia, China and India. Further, Singapore gained on the basis of tourism receipts around S$24.8 billion during 2016. Compared to 2015 the tourism receipts during 2016 reflect a growth of around 13.9 percent during 2016. The same is evaluated to gain an crease by 1 to 4 percent during 2017 to reach a figure of S$25.8 billion (Cheok, 2017).

In terms of negative influences it is often argued that reflecting on the Grand Prix event for attracting foreign tourists to the region tends to create great amount of dependency on the hosting of the event. However, analysis carried out reflects that the flow international tourists are made possible in Indonesia owing to the development of an effective brand image of the region in the global tourism mandate (Today Online , 2017).

Positive and Negative Impact of the Issues

The goals of the Strategic Plan concerning development of tourism in Singapore are identified as follows.

-Closely focus on attracting potential investments from international markets for developing and enhancing on tourist attractions in Singapore.

-Development and growth of events associated to leisure and business tourism in Singapore. The same would help in attracting tourists interested in leisure and business activities in the region.

-Renovation of the Orchard Road in Singapore in becoming as an attractive shopping center is being rightly planned by the Singapore Tourism Board. STB is also planning the development of the Singapore Flyer with also renovation of the Sentosa Island in Singapore.

-Finally, the different precincts like China Town, Little India and also the Singapore River are also being focused on being effectively enhanced for attracting potential tourists (Ministry for Trade and Industry , 2015).

The development of Wi-Fi enabled transportation infrastructures like trains and buses in Singapore has potentially contributed in enhancing its accessibility and availability for servicing the needs of the commuters. Incorporation of Wi-Fi technology in buses and trains not only contributes in effective facility management but also in enhancing the service experience gained by customers (Y5ZONE Singapore Pte Ltd., 2016). Further, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) of Singapore focuses on enhancing the level of transportation mobility thereby making it seamless in nature. The same is illustrated as follows.

(Jain, 2017)

Multi-modal transportation systems are enabled for helping commuters move along in a seamless fashion. Similarly, the network for Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) Systems is generated that contribute in the development of large scale transportation networks around 360 kilometers by 2030.  The same is taken to contribute in the generation of greater connectivity among the Singaporean regions. The bike stations are also enabled with showers and also lockers for helping the bikers and cyclists to freshen up at different destinations. Further, Self Driving and Hybrid Cars are also made available in Singapore for generating shared mobility and also in reducing the level of transportation cost (Jain, 2017). Policies generated for helping in the generation of seamless mobility in Singapore is illustrated as follows.

(Jain, 2017)

With a focus on attracting tourists from different walks of life and also belonging to different regions, the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) has contributed in the development of an effective website, YourSingapore.com with also the generation of a potential social networking platform through use of Facebook for large number of tourists and visitors to the region. The production of the website along with the development of the Facebook page has helped STB in sharing tourism stories and feeds while it also encourages the tourists to share their own experiences with colleagues, friends and relatives. Incorporation of technological mediums like digital and social media networks potentially help in generating an effective word-of-mouth marketing activity for Singapore Tourism. Further, STB has also teamed up with the online tourism agent, TripAdvisor for helping in the development of an online tourism hub, ‘Live like a Local’. The same helps international tourists get the feel of Singaporean region with needed attractions from the eyes of the local residents. It is taken that the partnership of STB with TripAdvisor would contribute in inspiring large number of people and thereby attracting them to visit Singapore (Singapore Tourism Board , 2015).

Strategic Plans concerning Tourism in Singapore

Effective technology is being pursued to target different types of market segments pertaining to the tourism sector. The hero-hub-hygiene framework or HHH Framework developed through the use of YouTube and also the development of the Destination Newsroom actively contribute in encouraging customers to share their stories and experiences while STB employs the same for reproduction of different types of contents and feeds regarding tourism attractions and emerging facilities, networks and offers. Moreover, information is gathered through the use of the social networking mediums and other customer databases that help in evaluating the travelling interests of the customers with also gaining an effective understanding of the income potential of the different tourists groups. Information gained along both psychographic and demographic parameters with also personal information associated to age and profession contribute in targeting tourists along four different categories like working groups which are mainly millennial customers, family groups consisting of young kids, active silvers consisting of retired population and finally the business categories of customers (Lim, 2017). The same is reflected in the following illustration.

(Singapore Tourism Board , 2017)

The Millennial Working Groups are observed to actively contribute to around 36 percent of the total number of tourists that had visited Singapore during 2014 and tend to spend more than that spent by a leisure visitor visiting the region. Regarding, Family Tourists with Young Kids, it is observed that during 2014, the number of family tourists visiting the region accounted for 9.3 percent of the total travelers. Per Capita Expenditure incurred by this group in Singapore amounted to S$738 during 2014. Active Silvers or retirees aged 60 years or above accounted for around 16 percent of the leisure tourists visiting Singapore during 2014. The Active Silvers reflect a potential growth rate of 5 percent from the period ranging 2012 to 2014. Regarding, Business Travelers it is observed that around 20 percent of the tourists visiting Singapore during 2014 accounted to be for meeting business needs. The Business Travelers on average are estimated to spend around S$1281 during the period (Singapore Tourism Board , 2017).  

The first part was indicative about the history of tourism in the Singaporean market. It also reflected on pattern of tourists that tend to visit Singapore and also highlighted on the purposes for which people tend to organize a tour for Singapore. Further, it also highlighted on the different points of attraction in Singapore that helps in both enhancing and sustaining tourism in the region. Herein, the second part serves as an extension of the first part regarding analyzing the current issues affecting Singapore and also its impacts both positive and negative on tourism. It also contributes in understanding the technological developments made in the tourism sector of Singapore for attracting potential tourists with also the goals for the strategic planning initiatives concerning development of an effective tourism market. Further, the analysis of Singapore as a potential tourism destination is also rendered in second part based on the application of Butler’s Model.

Butler’s Theory or Model on Tourism is influenced by the ideas of Plog, Cohen Doxy and Christaller. The Model designed by Butler during 1980 also featured the attributes of the business marketing concept of Product Life Cycle (PLC). The different stages of Butler’s Model are identified as Exploration, Involvement, Development, Consolidation, Stagnation and finally Post-Stagnation. In the Exploration Stage, adventurous tourists tend to visit newer and untapped markets owing to the existence of scenic attractions that however suffer from lack of effective facilities. The Involvement Stage reflects on the growth of tourism advertising that helps in the generation and growth of awareness regarding tourism among the local customers. Growing level of involvement rightly helps in the provision of different types of services (Mason, 2015). Along the Developmental Stage the tourism authority and the regional government focus on the development of greater tourism related infrastructure and facilities for attracting and sustaining greater number of tourists in the region. Further, in the Consolidation Stage the tourism activity is observed to have become an integral part of the nation’s activity. Tourism in this stage tends to show effective growth rates with efforts rendered by local tourists for developing local facilities. Subsequently, in the Stagnation Stage, the number of tourists has reached the peak stage while the Post-Stagnation reflects increased number of possibilities with one end reflecting increased success of local management while the other extreme reflects rejuvenation and finally decline (Mason, 2015). The same is illustrated in the following diagram.

(Mason, 2015)

Focusing on the Butler Model, the case of Singaporean Tourism potentially reflect that Singapore as a tourism destination lies along the Development Stage. Here, Singapore Tourism Board (STB) contributes in developing the tourism industry in the region through conducting of strategic planning, development of tourism sites and attractions, attracting potential investments both from overseas and domestic sources and also helping in the development of needed hardware and software resources concerning tourism functions. Singapore is developed by STB as an effective destination for conducting of leisure and business tourism functions. Similarly, different infrastructures and innovations coupled with development of the technological interface is largely promoted by STB for attracting potential tourists to the region (Singapore Tourism Board , 2017).

Conclusions

The current situation of tourism is reflected in the following illustration concerning the estimates for the 2016 period.

The above illustration potentially reflects that tourism had gained growth during 2016 in Singapore compared to 2015. The growth in Singaporean tourism is evident in terms of 13 percent rise in tourism receipts, 8 percent rise in the number of international visitors and 1.8 percent rise in the hotel industry as a whole during 2016 (Singapore Tourism Board , 2016).

The use of effective technology has contributed in generating considerable awareness regarding the tourism potential of the Singaporean market to international visitors and tourists. Generation of stories and feeds concerning tourism sites has potentially helped in increasing the tourist and investment flow in the region. The same had helped in the recreation and enhancement of different tourism sites and attractions in Singapore.

References

Cheok, M. (2017, February 15). Singapore Hopes to Keep Formula One Tourists Coming Beyond 2017. Retrieved September 16, 2017 , from https://skift.com/2017/02/15/singapore-hopes-to-keep-formula-one-tourists-coming-beyond-2017/

Jain, D. (2017, March 14). Challenges and improvements in Singapore’s urban mobility. Retrieved September 16, 2017, from https://global-is-asian.nus.edu.sg/index.php/singapore-challenges-and-improvements-in-urban-mobility/

Lim, J. (2017, August 31). STB slogan Passion Made Possible taps new travel trend. Retrieved September 16, 2017, from https://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/stb-slogan-passion-made-possible-taps-new-travel-trend

Mason, P. (2015). Tourism Impacts, Planning and Management. New York : Routledge .

Meng, M. W. (2017, September 15). Formula One: Singapore Grand Prix signs 4-year extension to host night race. Retrieved September 15, 2017, from https://www.straitstimes.com/sport/formula-one/formula-one-singapore-grand-prix-signs-four-year-extension-to-host-night-race

Ministry for Trade and Industry . (2015). Tourism 2015 goals. Retrieved September 16, 2017, from https://www.mti.gov.sg/MTIInsights/Pages/Investments.aspx

Singapore Tourism Board . (2017, June 16). Industry Development. Retrieved September 16, 2017, from https://www.stb.gov.sg/about-stb/what-we-do/Pages/Industry-Development.aspx

Singapore Tourism Board . (2017). Marketing Strategy: Of Stories, Fans and Channels . Singapore : Singapore Tourism Board .

Singapore Tourism Board . (2015, April 23). Tourism Industry Conference 2015 - Speech by Mr Lionel Yeo, Chief Executive, Singapore Tourism Board. Retrieved September 16, 2017, from https://www.stb.gov.sg/news-and-publications/lists/newsroom/dispform.aspx?ID=565

Singapore Tourism Board . (2016). Tourism Sector Performance . Retrieved September 16, 2017, from https://www.stb.gov.sg/statistics-and-market-insights/marketstatistics/q4%202016%20tourism%20sector%20performance.pdf

Today Online . (2017, February 15). Singapore still sees Formula One allure, tourism chief says. Retrieved September 16, 2017, from https://www.todayonline.com/singapore/singapore-still-sees-formula-one-allure-tourism-chief-says

Y5ZONE Singapore Pte Ltd. (2016). Wi-Fi For Transporation . Retrieved September 16, 2017, from https://y5zone.sg/solutions/wifi-for-transportation/