Tourism is not just about numbers, it’s about soft power and it’s vital to Singapore’s place in the world, says STB’s CEO, Keith Tan

In March 2020, when we didn’t know what we know now, the first WiT Podcast guest was Keith Tan, chief executive of the Singapore Tourism Board, and we talked about what was to come just as the pandemic was starting to take hold.

Then, we speculated about the possibility of a year with two halves, little knowing that there wouldn’t be any halves for a couple of years.

It’s hard to believe what we’ve been through, particularly for the tiny island state of Singapore, whose very existence depends on global connectivity. But come through it, it has, with many proclaiming it to be the poster child of Covid-19 recovery in the region. To date, Changi Airport is operating at 82% of pre-pandemic connectivity – a statistic Tan proudly shares in this first WiT Podcast of 2023, conducted on January 9, the day after China’s full reopening.

Back then, in January 2020, Singapore was the first country in South-east Asia to close its borders to Chinese travellers. Today, it’s the first to welcome them back without any restrictions, with infectious diseases experts declaring in this article that “China’s reopening of borders is unlikely to lead to a severe wave of COVID-19 infections in Singapore”.

“It’s not just about visitor arrivals. It’s not just about tourism, revenues and tourism spin. It’s about our place in the world.” ~ Keith Tan, CEO, Singapore Tourism Board (STB)

Tan is optimistic about what China holds for its tourism prospects in 2023 although he confessed to being surprised by the somewhat sudden lifting of restrictions. “Initially, we thought China would only open up later in 2023. So anything earlier than that, which is what we’re seeing now is a plus for us. So now we’re working very closely … to plan for systematic and safe reopening of our borders with China so that we don’t get overwhelmed as well”.

This sooner-than-expected reopening of China has given Tan even more optimism about recovery for Singapore. When asked to rate his optimism score from 1 to 10, he gave it an 11. And so his word for 2023 is “recovery”.

He is also naturally proud of how the Singapore private sector pulled through the pandemic, keeping most of its tourism infrastructure intact through the most difficult times and in fact, emerging stronger after its battles.

How jobs were saved through redeploying of roles, how it pivoted to the domestic market and built up a stronger local base, how it had to swing almost overnight from a demand problem (at the height of the pandemic) to a supply problem (a nice problem to have), how major events have returned in force, how investors are pouring in money into the economy, new hotels being built, new attractions being developed …

“All those dollars means something, it must mean that somebody who has done their math is very confident in the future prospects of Singapore. And likewise, we see confidence in terms of investors putting in money into creating new concepts, new experiences in Singapore. Surely that speaks for something.”

Tan believes lessons learnt – new muscles developed, as he puts it, will prove valuable as Singapore plans its way into a future based on three pillars – wellness, sustainability and technology. In this podcast, he shares the agency’s thinking of how it plans to chart the way forward for the remaking of Singapore as a destination.

He expresses enthusiasm about new tourism concepts he’s seen on his travels – particularly an attraction in Paris that inspired him and the technology that can be deployed in all aspects of Singapore’s tourism from sustainability tech to metaverse. Tan is also a believer that whatever the short-term pain we go through, we must not lose sight of our North Star and Singapore tourism’s North Star remains unchanged despite the pandemic. “… tourism is meant to serve larger goals of our country. Those can be economic goals, social, cultural, human goals … And it’s important for the tourism industry to understand we do all this so that we can grow our economy, we grow our connectivity to the rest of the world, we grow our relevance to the rest of the world.

“It’s not just about visitor arrivals. It’s not just about tourism, revenues and tourism spin. It’s about our place in the world, our relevance in the world and, at least for domestic audiences, it’s also about how we continue to build a livable and lovable country for our people.”

And one clear lesson from the pandemic – tourism cannot be seen through the lens of just numbers, but for the soft power it can wield in societies, from mental well-being of individuals to claiming its place in the world. “It is important for us to emphasise and reiterate that tourism cannot just be seen in terms of raw visitor numbers … tourism was already being regarded as a problem in some countries, because of raw focus on numbers.” “We should not go back to that – we have to focus on helping visitors have a better experience in our destinations like Singapore. And I think that’s one of the ways that we can help further that conversation amongst other cities around the world.”

“… I think it’s important for us to emphasise that tourism has a direct impact on how well connected we are as a whole. Pre Covid, we must have taken it for granted that we will always be a global hub, we will always be connected to the rest of the world. And then all of a sudden we weren’t because of COVID.

“And it’s all because tourism flows dried up, airlines stopped coming. The flights stopped arriving in Changi Airport, you know where I live in the East Coast, I can see the planes arriving. And all of a sudden you stop seeing the planes coming in. I’m very happy now that I can see the planes coming in every minute, you know, a plane landing at Changi Airport. And that gives me hope, “I’ve learned not to take that for granted … we were the third or fourth most visited city in the world by international visitors pre COVID. As long as we maintain and grow the position, the planes will come. We remain connected to the rest of the world and that is vital for Singapore’s position in the world.”

All these, and more, are covered in the podcast. Have a listen.