Singapore Tourism and Planning Authorities - Report Example

Policy Planning and Development By [Student’s Name] [Code + Course Name] [Name of Tutor] [Name of University] [City, State] [Date of Submission] Paper Outline 1. Introduction 2. Historical analysis of tourism policies in Singapore and peoples’ response to them 3. Influence of the global forces on Singapore’s’ planning 4. The extent to which Singapore is a sustainable urban destination 5. Recommendations for Singapore Tourism and Planning Authorities 6. Conclusion 7. Reference list Introduction In the recent past, tourism sector in different countries across the world has continued to record significant growth. Although threats of terrorism have tended to slow down this growth, various governments are putting in measures to curb this threat. In improving tourist attractions in a country, governments and other stakeholders are faced with a dilemma of catering for the interests of tourists and the needs of the local people. This is informed by the fact that some of the policies implemented to promote tourism may not be popular with the local community. As a result, local populations may petition the government to revise such policies. In Singapore, the tourism sector has experienced numerous changes in the last four decades. The government has adopted various strategies whose aim has been to promote and champion tourism in Singapore. Historical Analysis of Tourism Policies in Singapore and Peoples’ Response to Them Singapore has become one of the leading tourist destinations in the world today. According to Chiang (2005), tourism management in Singapore has been formulating and embracing policies that are in line with the current socioeconomic environment. He has observed that these policies have corresponded well with the global forces that influence trends in tourism and the social, economic and political development. Laws (2005) points out that, in the mid 1960s, the Singapore tourism sector had a massive growth unlike many other parts of the world. He argues that an increase in the number of visitors was informed by improvement in her transport and communication systems. He says that technological advancement coupled with improved infrastructure, made transport within the country cheap. As a result, tourist numbers went up. Furthermore, during this time not many countries had invested heavily on tourism and; therefore, this yielded a lot of economic gains for Singapore. Chang (2007) has observed that the government of that time saw tourism as a means of creating employment for her young population. Since Singapore had just gained independence, the government found it necessary to offer more of her population employment to develop and increase her economic growth especially in the tourism sector. He argues that in a bid to promote her tourism sector the government formed the Singapore Tourist Promotion Board. He says that the formation of this board was an informed decision by the government when it realized tourism sector contributed significantly to the economic growth of Singapore. In the mid 1970s, the government began putting new measures to cater for the increased number of tourists. According to Ooi (2002), the Singaporean government concentrated on building attraction sites and construction of modern hotels that would accommodate more tourists. In addition, there was the branding of Singapore as the ‘Instant Asia’ because nearly all Asian cultures were found in there. Moreover, he points out that, in 1976, Singapore Handicraft Center was opened. This center showcased Singapore’s traditions and also various cultures of different people living there. To make sure that these artifacts were protected well, they were housed in a secured building. According to him, this state of the art building provided comfort to the tourists, who in turn were required to pay a stipulated entrance fee that helped improve the economic growth of Singapore. He says that, with this kind of arrangements, tourists kept coming to Singapore a situation that improved the Gross Domestic Product of Singapore in the subsequent years. In the 1980s, there was a decline in tourists arriving in Singapore mainly because of the economic recession. According to Chiang (2005), in 1982, Singapore experienced her worst performance since the formation of the Singapore Tourist Promotion Board. He points out that, in that year, tourist arrivals went down by 4.5 %. However, the worst was still to come because in 1983 tourist arrivals went to an all time low of -3.5 %. Zhang (1999) says that some of the factors that contributed to these problems included the over construction of hotels and rehabilitation of the existing ones. According to him, the Singaporean government was optimistic that the tourism performances of the 1960s and 1970s would be replicated in the years ahead. Secondly, Singapore manufacturing sector declined and as a result, she lost her competitiveness in the labor intensive operations. During the same period, the government had begun closing some of the tourist attractions to create room for urbanization and industrialization. As a result, the government introduced measures to reverse the situations and attract more tourists in the country. In order to address the decreasing number of tourists, the government came up with the Tourism Product Development Plan. Under this arrangement, a total of two hundred and twenty three million dollars was invested in the rehabilitation of the Chinatown, Little India and the Kampong Glam. Other areas covered included Singapore River, the Raffles Hotel and the Buggies Street. According to Chang (2007), the Singaporean government through the Tourism Product Development Plan was aimed at bringing local cultural consciousness amongst while creating tourist attractions in Singapore. Chang (2007) argues that, in 1993, the Tourism Product Development Plan released a blueprint referred to as The Strategic Plan for Growth. This master plan was meant to evaluate the successes and the failures of the Tourism Product Development Plan. He has argued that the strategic plan recommended the rehabilitation of the existing tourist attractions, rather than spend more money creating new ones. According to him, the members of this committee felt that Singapore tourism infrastructure was well developed and hence the need to maintain the ones already in place. Other changes that took place in the tourism sector were introduced in the 21st century. Ivy (2010) argues that, Indonesia and Malaysia had stepped up their tourism marketing strategies and had already begun bearing fruits. As a result, Singapore which had a small population compared to these countries, felt disadvantaged because she was not endowed with natural resources. As a result, a new idea was born where Singapore was branded as the Tourism Capital. According to him, this move was meant to revolutionize the perception of Singapore amongst tourists. In order to achieve this it was agreed that, the number of flights within Asia be increased. As Tsai (2011) argues, the government found this policy unviable in the long run. As a result, they developed a new strategy referred to as the Tourism Unlimited. Under this strategy, the government agreed to partner with other regional countries to form an alliance where they agreed to market the entire region rather than individual countries. According to him, this was a clever idea from the Singaporean government because it not only created links with her neighbors, but also cemented her status as a tourist hub. However, not all Singaporeans were contended with these decisions. Wong (2011) says that some felt that the government required investing more on tourism to compete with other emerging tourist destination such as Malaysia and Hong Kong. In addition, it was felt amongst Singaporeans that some of the areas that had previously been occupied would lose its meaning if the government went ahead and rehabilitated these areas. These people felt that if these areas remained as they were, they would retain their identity and tourists would continue to flock there. Furthermore, other Singaporeans were concerned that some of the rehabilitated areas such as the Civic and Cultural District were meant to please tourists and the expense of the locals. As a result, they petitioned the government to consider the impacts such would have on the local people as much as it wanted to attract more tourists in the country. According to him, this was a manifestation that locals were beginning to appreciate their heritage cultural resources. Influence of the global forces on Singapore’s’ planning Although Singapore has developed to become of the leading tourist destination in the world today, most of her achievements can be credited to her subsequent governments after independence. According to Ivy (2010), Singapore was a very poor country prior to her independence. He says that, unlike her neighbors such as Malaysia and Indonesia, Singapore lacked natural resources to spur her economy. However, due to effective and visionary leadership, the country is today among the top countries with the highest Gross Domestic product. According to Zhang (1999), Singapore has had a strategic plan since 1971 known as the Concept Plan. He has noted that the Concept Plan is revised after every ten years to assess its successes and failures and the impacts it has had on the economy over a decade. He observes that this concept was borrowed from other countries that had the need to maintain their historic sites, when putting up new buildings and other infrastructure. He asserts that, in the 2001 Concept Plan, the idea was to protect and rehabilitate vernacular buildings and places so that Singapore would become a distinct, dynamic and beautiful city. He argues that countries should maintain their cultural heritages so that the generations to come can find a link to connect with the past. Chang (2007) points out that although Singapore has one of the best architectural works in the world today, global forces has played a key role to achieve this. According to him, some of her well known architectures were trained outside Singapore. As a result, the knowledge gained is transferred back into their country. In addition, the engineers contracted to put up some of these magnificent structures come from outside Singapore. The other influence global forces have heard on the planning of Singapore has been the issue of old buildings in the city. According to Ooi (2002), just like other countries, Singapore demolished some her existing structures make way for modern and tall buildings. He gives an example of the Raffles institution that had been constructed in 1842. However, because it was an old building bull Dozers were called to bring it down. He says that, in the contemporary world, a modern shopping mall has already been constructed on this site previously occupied by the institution. This mall is one the tallest building in Singapore. He however, argues that Singapore still maintains some of her ancient buildings in the city. The old buildings have been rehabilitated to make sure that they do not wear out fast. The Extent to Which Singapore is a Sustainable Urban Destination Since 1965 when she attained her independence, Singapore has established herself as an important hub for international trade. According to Wong (2011), the geographic location of Singapore makes it a transit point between western countries and the Asian Market. He says that Singapore being an island makes it possible for the different shipping companies worldwide to transit their goods through her ports. Moreover, the country has a modern fleet of airplanes that makes it easier for people and cargo movement around the world. He has observed that, in 2010 for instance, there were over six thousand flights moving in and out of Singapore. Furthermore, her magnificent infrastructure and continued economic growth make Singapore the city-state that is good for conducting business. It has also been touted as one of the safest places on earth to invest. He says this is because the government has put in place measures to cushion investors in case the country’s economy experienced turbulence. Singaporean society has been perceived as one of the most cohesive in Asian countries. According to Tsai (2011), Singapore is home to people from different countries across the world. However, to make sure that there are no antagonisms amongst people from these cultures, the government has a policy that encourages mutual respect for each other. As a result, more people and especially tourists continue flocking this city-state all year round. He argues that, this policy of ensuring cohesiveness amongst people of different cultures has contributed in her continued growth. Yuen (2009) argues that Singapore’s policies in the business field have contributed massively in many multinational corporations setting up their operations there. According to him, the government taxes very little amount of investment compared to other European countries like the United Kingdom and the United States of America. He points out that corporate tax rates reduce the number of investments in a country. In order to attract more investors, Singapore has introduced tax incentives for new investors whose profit margin is below three hundred thousand Singaporean dollars. It is for this reason that Singapore has been ranked top as a state where business is easily set up. According to Neal (2007), Singapore is one of the safest cities to live. He has observed that nearly all major roads leading in and out of Singapore have 24 hour surveillance. All people coming through her airports and harbors are thoroughly screened. He argues that this process of screening is meant to minimize chances of smuggling illegal firearms that are very unfriendly in the business environment. With these kinds of arrangement, Singapore has proven to be a sustainable urban destination not only for the tourists, but also for investors. Recommendations for Singapore Tourism and Planning Authorities Although Singapore has managed to attract a huge number of tourists all year round, there exist some few things that ought to be done to attract more tourists and investors. According to Glaesser (2003), Singapore has concentrated her marketing strategies in some Asian countries, Europe and the United States. He recommends that Singapore to sell her products across the world in a similar manner. He says that ignoring some parts of the world would give her competitors such as Malaysia and Indonesia a chance to catch up with her. Henderson (2005) points out that opening up of overseas offices would help the would-be tourists, or investors have a glimpse of what to expect once in Singapore. In addition, he recommends that Singapore should organize an event across the world meant to sell her as a tourist destination. With the increase use of social media, Singapore should take this advantage and market herself as the best tourist destination in the world. Furthermore, Singapore should keep improving her transport sector to ensure that tourists are not stuck in traffic jams when within the capital or other towns. In the planning sector, this country should try and prevent the mushrooming of semi permanent houses around the capital or other major towns. According to Ivy (2010) these semi permanent houses are occupied by the poor and the less privileged in the society. In order to make their ends meet, he says that these people tend to engage in criminality a situation that may jeopardize her efforts of becoming an economic and tourist hub in the world. Conclusion Tourism is the fastest growing sectors in the world today. Therefore, governments should put stringent measures to protect this industry. Investing a lot of money is also important to promote a country as a tourist destination is very important. Singapore has invested heavily in the tourism sector after realizing the potential tourism holds in the economic growth of a country. Reference List Chang, T 2007, Singapore's Little India: A Tourist Attraction as a Contested Landscape, Sage Journals, vol. 37 no. 2 343-366. Chiang, L 2005, Strategies for sustainable Visitor Growth: A case study, The Journal of Tourism studies, Vol. 10, no. 1, and pp 12-24. Glaesser, D 2003, Crises' spheres of activity. Crisis management in the tourism industry, Elsevier Butterworth-Heinemann, Burlington. Henderson, J 2005, Planning, Changing Landscapes and Tourism in Singapore, Journal of Sustainable Tourism, Vol. 3, no 2, pp 32-37. Ivy, Y 2010, The Environmental Impact of Singapore Tourism Development: Analysis and Response, The International Hospitality and Student Journal, Vol. 2, pp 3-6. Laws, E 2005, Crisis management: a suggested typology." Journal of Travel and Tourism Marketing, Vol 19, no. 6, pp 1-8. Neal, J 2007, The Effect of Tourism Services on Travelers' Quality of Life, Journal of Travel Research, Vol 46, no 3, pp154-163. Ooi, C 2002, Cultural Tourism and Tourism Cultures: The Business of Mediating Experiences in Copenhagen and Singapore, Copenhagen Business School Press, Copenhagen. Tsai, S 2011, Place Attachment and Tourism Marketing: Investigating International Tourists in Singapore, International Journal of Tourism, Vol. 14, pp 139-153. Wong, H 2011, Singapore Mulls Ways to Boost Tourism, The Wall Street Journal, Vol. 6, no. 23, pp 21-27. Yuen, P 2009, Planning Singapore: From Plan to Implementation, Singapore Institute of Planners, Singapore. Zhang, J 1999, The travel patterns and travel distance of tourists to national parks in China, Asia Pacific Journal of Tourism Research, Vol. 4, no. 2 27-34. Read More