Resorts World Sentosa’s S.E.A. Aquarium and the Earth Observatory of Singapore (EOS) at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) are embarking on a research collaboration that will see the collective efforts of the attraction and EOS in building climate resilience through research projects and educational activities.
The partnership was marked by an underwater MOU signing, the first of its kind in S.E.A. Aquarium’s history, which saw assistant professor Kyle Morgan from NTU Singapore, and Abel Yeo from S.E.A. Aquarium’s Education, Research & Conservation team dive into the Shipwreck Habitat for the occasion.
The collaboration aims to bring together the expertise and resources of both S.E.A. Aquarium and EOS, a research institute at NTU Singapore that focuses on natural hazards and climate research, to help address the urgent global crisis of climate change.
Both organisations will leverage this partnership to showcase EOS marine science research relating to coral reefs, mangroves, and climate change. This endeavour aims to captivate visitors, inviting them to learn and appreciate the diverse ecosystems of Singapore’s blue spaces and the broader South-east Asian region.
S.E.A. Aquarium’s Rainbow Reef will be used as a teaching facility for NTU students and to test field equipment, while S.E.A. Aquarium will provide a space to showcase research done by EOS and to deploy sensors measuring sea temperature and levels. Joint research projects undertaken by the partners will focus on super corals, and climate science.
Additionally, visitors can look forward to ocean webinars and short educational videos developed by EOS for use in S.E.A. Aquarium’s programmes, exhibitions, festivals, and more.
“Research on climate change aimed to foster sustainable societies is at the core of EOS’s research. It takes collective effort for effective change, and I am glad that Resorts World Sentosa recognises the impact of climate change and is opening an outlet for the sharing of knowledge and resources to contribute to climate research. With a shared passion for environmental stewardship, I hope the collaboration between RWS and EOS will catalyse meaningful change towards a more climate resilient future,” said Morgan.
Nicholas Derbyshire, who leads the Research & Conservation team at S.E.A. Aquarium, Resorts World Sentosa, added: “Sustainability has been embedded in the heart of RWS’s business since the integrated resort was first built over 10 years ago. We strongly believe that leveraging the expertise of EOS will be a key driver to tackling climate issues which is a pertinent problem today.”
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She has over 19 years of experience as a director of sales and marketing, and was part of the team to relaunch and rebrand the renovated Mandarin Oriental Singapore.
The Japan Tourism Agency (JTA) is stepping up efforts to expand gastronomy tourism in a bid to combat overtourism, cater to the high-end market and boost inbound tourism consumption in rural areas.
JTA will provide financial subsidies in fiscal 2024 (April 2024 to March 2025) for the development and promotion of programmes focusing on regional culinary cultures.
The Japanese government considers food and drink an industry with high potential for growth given that inbound visitors spent 1.2 trillion yen (US$7.8 billion), on food and drink in 2023, equating to almost one quarter of their total consumption, according to JTA.
Support includes up to 50 million yen per successful applicant to cover the establishment of bases for collecting ingredients, such as wild plants, and for carrying out local cultural experiences. Advertising, meanwhile, can be carried out overseas, such as on travel websites.
As part of the plan, luxury packages that combine culinary and cultural experiences will also be developed to expand options for “high-value travellers,” categorised by the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) as those who spend one million yen or more per visit to Japan.
Among the regions that could benefit from the subsidies is Nara Prefecture, which trialled six gastronomy tours from October 2023 to January 2024 with support from JTA as part of a project designed to attract 51 million tourists annually by 2025. The tours introduce Nara as the heartland of sake and matcha, as well as the prefecture that produces the most persimmons.
“The bounty of the nation’s mountains, valleys, rivers and seas differs from region to region, giving tourists myriad opportunities to get to the heart of Japan through their stomachs,” said a JNTO representative. “That’s the essence of gastronomy tourism, a form of travel focused on food nurtured by local ingredients, customs and traditions.”