The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) will take over the regulation of cruise terminal operators from the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) to ensure that terminals here are run in accordance with the country’s cruise hub ambition, reported local broadsheet The Straits Times.
Minister of state for trade and industry Alvin Tan said STB will be empowered to ensure high service standards and the optimal use of the limited number of berths at the Singapore Cruise Centre and Marina Bay Cruise Centre Singapore, and prevent excessive pricing.
When the STB (Amendment) Bill takes effect the tourism board will be able to directly manage the affairs, business and property of a cruise terminal licensee under extraordinary circumstances, such as if the operator becomes insolvent, to ensure business continuity.
The updated law will also require that cruise terminal licensees’ central management and control take place in Singapore, so that STB can take swift enforcement action if needed.
STB will be empowered to conduct surveys and obtain financial and operational data from the cruise terminal licensees.
MPA will continue to regulate other marine and port facilities.
Meanwhile, the amended law also expands STB’s administrative capabilities and enforcement powers over the broader tourism industry here. For instance, STB’s purview over tourism enterprises will be extended to providing grants and acting as a guarantor for selected strategic tourism enterprises.
Another clause grants STB the ability to collect and access tourism information, such as visitor numbers and tourism receipts from businesses.
Japan’s move to allow international travellers in without booking a guided package tour since September 7 has injected fresh optimism in tour operators.
Visitors to Japan now require a local sponsor, such as a travel agency, who can track their whereabouts on any given day.
The move is designed to stimulate greater inbound tourism, whose rebound has been slow since tourists were allowed to return on June 10 after more than two years. Only guided tours have been permitted since then, resulting in about 16,000 tourism arrivals between June 10 and the end of August, according to the Japan Tourism Agency.
Jeff Aasgaard, president of Rediscover Japan and Rediscover Tours, described the move as “a step in the right direction.”
“This is great news for us as a specialist whose business is 80 per cent self-guided tailored travel,” said Simon King, co-founder of InsideJapan, adding that the easing of restrictions “in time for Japan’s peak autumn departures is such a relief for us and all our partners on the ground that rely on our customers’ business”.
Geoff Day, COO of Japan Travel, said the move will be “a boon for travel agencies” as independent travellers will need “to book and plan their travel through an accredited travel agency”.
Still, many agents say tourism rules need to be relaxed further for the industry to see a full recovery.
The September 7 development is “not perfect, but progress,” remarked Aasgaard.