Singapore ploughs fresh funds into tourism recovery, debuts additional support programmes
By
/ Posted on 6 April, 2022 18:40
The Singapore government has earmarked close to half a billion dollars to support the tourism sector’s trek to recovery over the coming years, alongside new and enhanced programmes, revealed minister of state for trade and industry, Alvin Tan at this morning’s Tourism Industry Conference.
In his address at Suntec Convention Centre, Tan said the funds would be used to support and sustain strategic manpower capabilities in the sector, offset business costs, as well as amplify Singapore’s international recovery plans.
Ministry of State and Industry’s Tan urged Singapore tourism players to use the new chest of S$500 million (US$367.9 million) to develop outstanding tourism experiences and enhance talents (photo credit: Karen Yue)
He called on industry stakeholders to utilise the financial support for business transformation and development of new experiences.
“Test-bed new and innovative concepts and solutions, especially in wellness and sustainability. Continue to develop your talent, to ensure that the tourism workforce is equipped with the skills needed to support your business transformation plans,” Tan urged.
As tourism returns against a backdrop of inflation, Singapore Tourism Board’s (STB) chief executive Keith Tan said the fresh funds would also come in handy to help tourism players deal with rising costs of operations.
However, he emphasised that “business cost is a reality” and that “all businesses in Singapore must internalise that, and not expect the STB or the government to shield them from rising business costs”.
As the cost of travel rises, it is even more important that tourism players develop experiences, attractions and events that travellers find are worth every dollar.
Adding on to the minister’s suggested priorities for the usage of the fresh funds, STB’s Tan encouraged industry players to look at developing great experiences for visitors or to attract new offerings that have yet to wash up on Singapore’s shores.
“For example, we don’t want the same old Christmas light-up on Orchard Road. How can we multiply the wow factor of that annual event?” he explained, adding that the new experiences should serve to differentiate Singapore from other destinations.
Sustainability focus
With sustainability recognised as an engine of growth for the tourism industry, Singapore will build on its existing Singapore Green Plan 2030, introduced in 2021, to launch the Tourism Sustainability Programme (TSP), which provides tourism businesses with resources to identify strategic areas for sustainability efforts.
In line with Singapore’s ambition to become one of the world’s most sustainable urban destinations, the TSP will focus on three main areas: capability and growth; innovation; and education and awareness.
Capability building and training will be supported through Training Industry Professionals in Tourism (TIP-iT). TSP will also offer grants such as Business Improvement Fund (BIF) to improve companies’ resource efficiency and competitiveness.
To foster innovation, TSP will support the development and test-bedding of innovative sustainable solutions through the Singapore Tourism Accelerator. Innovative technology providers and tourism businesses will work together to develop solutions in areas such as waste, water, energy and carbon emissions management that can be scaled up across the industry.
To continuously educate and provide information on best practices and focus areas to inspire industry players to consider new opportunities, the Hotel Sustainability Roadmap jointly launched by STB and Singapore Hotel Association in March, sets out sustainability targets for the hotel industries and strategies to help them achieve these goals.
Singapore’s sustainability focus will include collaboration with other tourism segments to set “ambitious” targets and strategies, noted STB’s Tan. Initiatives include the Singapore Association of Convention & Exhibition Organisers & Suppliers’ move to align its MICE Sustainability Certification with internationally-recognised standards; participation in the Global Destination Sustainabilty Index to benchmark performance against other business events destinations; and certification of Singapore as a sustainable destination under the Global Sustainable Tourism Council’s Destination Criteria.
Workforce focus
As Singapore strengthens her destination appeal, STB is working to ease manpower pressures on industry stakeholders.
Tan noted that the tourism industry lost a third of its workforce over the past two years.
While the reopening of land borders with Malaysia will alleviate some staffing bottlenecks, it is imperative that Singapore continues to build up her future-ready workforce capabilities, he opined.
To this end, STB worked with the National Trades Union Congress and Workforce Singapore to set up the Tourism Careers Hub (TCH) late last year.
Tan encouraged industry players to reach out to TCH to help find workers with the right skills or to upskill their staff to meet their needs.
Through the TCH, STB works with the tripartite partners to extend end-to-end job facilitation, training and support for the sector’s workforce.
Digital transformation focus
Firms keen on digital transformation have benefited from STB’s Tourism Technology Transformation Cube (Tcube), which was launched last year. This digital transformation support has been further enhanced with a programme that supplements tourism businesses’ Augmented Reality (AR) capabilities.
STB has developed 100 3D models of points of interests, and these are available via the Tourism Information and Services hub for industry players to utilise for free. The concept has been expanded into Extended Reality (XR), which encompasses Augmented, Mixed and Virtual Reality.
To create engaging interactive content, STB is also keen to pilot proof-of-concepts with the sector. It has worked with S.E.A. Aquarium on an AR app for visitors to interact with marine animals digitally, and learn more about marine life.
To expand these efforts, STB launched a grant call, The Next Experience, in February with the purpose of creating XR-enabled experiences that motivate people to visit multiple points of interest. STB has received healthy interest ahead of the proposal deadline on April 23. – Additional reporting by Karen Yue
The Singapore government has earmarked close to half a billion dollars to support the tourism sector’s trek to recovery over the coming years, alongside new and enhanced programmes, revealed minister of state for trade and industry, Alvin Tan at this morning’s Tourism Industry Conference.
In his address at Suntec Convention Centre, Tan said the funds would be used to support and sustain strategic manpower capabilities in the sector, offset business costs, as well as amplify Singapore’s international recovery plans.
He called on industry stakeholders to utilise the financial support for business transformation and development of new experiences.
“Test-bed new and innovative concepts and solutions, especially in wellness and sustainability. Continue to develop your talent, to ensure that the tourism workforce is equipped with the skills needed to support your business transformation plans,” Tan urged.
As tourism returns against a backdrop of inflation, Singapore Tourism Board’s (STB) chief executive Keith Tan said the fresh funds would also come in handy to help tourism players deal with rising costs of operations.
However, he emphasised that “business cost is a reality” and that “all businesses in Singapore must internalise that, and not expect the STB or the government to shield them from rising business costs”.
As the cost of travel rises, it is even more important that tourism players develop experiences, attractions and events that travellers find are worth every dollar.
Adding on to the minister’s suggested priorities for the usage of the fresh funds, STB’s Tan encouraged industry players to look at developing great experiences for visitors or to attract new offerings that have yet to wash up on Singapore’s shores.
“For example, we don’t want the same old Christmas light-up on Orchard Road. How can we multiply the wow factor of that annual event?” he explained, adding that the new experiences should serve to differentiate Singapore from other destinations.
Sustainability focus
With sustainability recognised as an engine of growth for the tourism industry, Singapore will build on its existing Singapore Green Plan 2030, introduced in 2021, to launch the Tourism Sustainability Programme (TSP), which provides tourism businesses with resources to identify strategic areas for sustainability efforts.
In line with Singapore’s ambition to become one of the world’s most sustainable urban destinations, the TSP will focus on three main areas: capability and growth; innovation; and education and awareness.
Capability building and training will be supported through Training Industry Professionals in Tourism (TIP-iT). TSP will also offer grants such as Business Improvement Fund (BIF) to improve companies’ resource efficiency and competitiveness.
To foster innovation, TSP will support the development and test-bedding of innovative sustainable solutions through the Singapore Tourism Accelerator. Innovative technology providers and tourism businesses will work together to develop solutions in areas such as waste, water, energy and carbon emissions management that can be scaled up across the industry.
To continuously educate and provide information on best practices and focus areas to inspire industry players to consider new opportunities, the Hotel Sustainability Roadmap jointly launched by STB and Singapore Hotel Association in March, sets out sustainability targets for the hotel industries and strategies to help them achieve these goals.
Singapore’s sustainability focus will include collaboration with other tourism segments to set “ambitious” targets and strategies, noted STB’s Tan. Initiatives include the Singapore Association of Convention & Exhibition Organisers & Suppliers’ move to align its MICE Sustainability Certification with internationally-recognised standards; participation in the Global Destination Sustainabilty Index to benchmark performance against other business events destinations; and certification of Singapore as a sustainable destination under the Global Sustainable Tourism Council’s Destination Criteria.
Workforce focus
As Singapore strengthens her destination appeal, STB is working to ease manpower pressures on industry stakeholders.
Tan noted that the tourism industry lost a third of its workforce over the past two years.
While the reopening of land borders with Malaysia will alleviate some staffing bottlenecks, it is imperative that Singapore continues to build up her future-ready workforce capabilities, he opined.
To this end, STB worked with the National Trades Union Congress and Workforce Singapore to set up the Tourism Careers Hub (TCH) late last year.
Tan encouraged industry players to reach out to TCH to help find workers with the right skills or to upskill their staff to meet their needs.
Through the TCH, STB works with the tripartite partners to extend end-to-end job facilitation, training and support for the sector’s workforce.
Digital transformation focus
Firms keen on digital transformation have benefited from STB’s Tourism Technology Transformation Cube (Tcube), which was launched last year. This digital transformation support has been further enhanced with a programme that supplements tourism businesses’ Augmented Reality (AR) capabilities.
STB has developed 100 3D models of points of interests, and these are available via the Tourism Information and Services hub for industry players to utilise for free. The concept has been expanded into Extended Reality (XR), which encompasses Augmented, Mixed and Virtual Reality.
To create engaging interactive content, STB is also keen to pilot proof-of-concepts with the sector. It has worked with S.E.A. Aquarium on an AR app for visitors to interact with marine animals digitally, and learn more about marine life.
To expand these efforts, STB launched a grant call, The Next Experience, in February with the purpose of creating XR-enabled experiences that motivate people to visit multiple points of interest. STB has received healthy interest ahead of the proposal deadline on April 23. – Additional reporting by Karen Yue