Destinations known | ‘Singapoliday’ and other dubious tourism board initiatives amid the coronavirus pandemic
- Regional tourism authorities are pulling out all the stops to get domestic travellers travelling, even if they don’t want to
- Uncertainties and safety issues created by Covid-19 mean that even a simple staycation is an exercise in risk assessment
An accompanying mini-site – the equally inelegant “SingapoRediscovers” – on the Visit Singapore webpage wonders, “Who knows what secrets lie in Singapore?” Presumably, the “local community groups, passionate individuals and tourist guides” who designed the SingapoRediscovers adventures do.
Of course, Singapore is not alone in counting on its citizens to keep a floundering tourism industry afloat. According to the Pacific Asia Travel Association, international arrivals to Asia-Pacific are expected to be down by 32 per cent year-on-year for 2020 (although that still seems optimistic), which “effectively takes visitor volume back to levels last seen in 2012”. And with many borders closed and anxiety keeping those who can travel close to home, tourism boards across the region have been turning their attention to the locals – with varying levels of success.
