The Big Read: A vital economic pillar, S’pore’s tourism sector faces a brutal test of mettle amid COVID-19 fallout

DOMESTIC MARKET"CAN’T SUSTAIN INDUSTRY BEYOND MID-2021"

The vouchers are a short-term measure to “bring Singaporeans out of the malls and into domestic tourism”, and is only intended to last into the holiday season in December, he added. With the vouchers valid until next June, Mr Chew said this would hopefully grant sufficient time for air travel bubbles to resume.

With international travel only likely to return to pre-pandemic levels in three to five years, Mr Khoo said that in the short term, the tourism industry will undergo a transformation, with hotels, tour agencies and some attractions likely to give up their businesses for good. The Tourism Recovery Action Taskforce formed in February, and comprising industry and government representatives, is working with the industry to map out recovery strategies and plans for tourism in Singapore, said Mr Tan.

Several industry players told TODAY they are making plans to adapt to the current situation as well as changes in the sector in the long term. Apart from tweaking their business models and coming up with innovative offerings, they have had to cut costs to stay viable. He noted that while there is “protracted uncertainty” from the disruption to international tourism, WRS is encouraged by the gradual opening of Singapore’s borders and is “ready as can be” to operate in a changing environment.Apart from developing digital means to engage a wider audience, such as through live camera interactions with animals and their care teams, WRS is also looking to refresh its exhibits to draw repeat visitors.

The Gardens is also reviewing its offerings in order to cater to the domestic market, such as by bringing back flagship events and floral displays in a safe and careful manner. Its Mid-Autumn Festival event, for instance, saw a reduced number of lantern displays and more staff on site to ensure that crowds kept to safe-distancing measures.

For instance, if at least 70 per cent of an attraction’s visitors are international tourists, it will now have to find ways to get a local resident to visit the attraction three times to replace the loss of an international visitor, said Dr Cheong, who is also the executive director of high-tech theme park Sentosa 4D AdventureLand.

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