Interview
Time to retain and retrain
KEITH TAN , CHIEF EXECUTIVE, SINGAPORE TOURISM BOARD DISCUSSES THE BIGGEST
CHALLENGE EVER TO FACE THE STATE’S TOURISM SECTOR
ust 18 months into your
role and the STB is
having to deal with the
impact of Covid-19. Do
you feel that the organisation was
well-prepared having learned from
the SARS outbreak?
Much of the learning, protocols and
procedures from SARS helped to guide
our actions but we also had to think out
of the box because every crisis is
different.
The SARS crisis taught us the
importance of frequent and transparent
communications with partners and
visitors. Since the start of the Covid-19
outbreak, we have regularly shared the
health and travel advisories, explained
policy decisions and offered reassurance
that we remain committed to our
long-term partnership.
Our government also provided
immediate and targeted support for the
tourism industry. Within a week of the
travel restrictions on China, we rolled
out fee waivers for hotels, travel agents
and tourist guides, and subsidised
cleaning costs for hotels with confirmed
or suspected cases.
However, we have gone much further
than we did for SARS. We have provided
more comprehensive job support, with
coverage of up to 75% of employees’
wages under the Jobs Support Scheme
and training for the tourism sector. We
have encouraged businesses to retain and
retrain their employees, so that they are
positioned to capture growth when the
situation improves.
That is why we are forging ahead with
our long-term plans such as Mandai
nature precinct and the rejuvenation of
the Integrated Resorts.
How do you see the challenges and
opportunities shaping up for the STB
over the next 12–18 months?
This is the biggest challenge that
Singapore tourism has faced. We don’t
know how long the crisis will last, how
deep it will be, or how it will develop. We
can only continue to engage and support
our partners, and help them prepare for
the recovery.
How have you managed your liaison
with private sector tourism partners
through this crisis? What support
have you provided?
We are working closely with our
partners in the private sector to plan
recovery efforts, and design and
implement support packages. One such
example is the Tourism Recovery Action
Task Force (TRAC), which comprises
government agencies, industry
associations, and tourism business
owners. TRAC’s work is action-oriented,
and we will feed good ideas from TRAC
into STB-led campaigns and strategies
to aid recovery.
The government has also committed
S$60bn (US$42.1bn) to support the
economy since the start of the crisis. We
encourage tourism businesses to take full
advantage to stabilise their operations
and transform their businesses.
We have also offered funding for the
tourism industry to engage customers
and maintain mindshare, through a
$20m Marketing Partnership
Programme and a $2m SG Stories
Content Fund. We encourage the
industry to upskill through our
Marketing College series, where we
work with tech players such as Facebook
and Google to offer online training in
digital skills.
Even as we help our businesses get
through this period, we must continue to
pursue our Quality Tourism strategy of
enhancing destination attractiveness and
supporting industry competitiveness.
ISSUE 106
But there are always opportunities
in a crisis?
For example, it seems clear that live
business and entertainment events
cannot go back to ‘business as usual’ for
some time to come. But the need for
engaging entertainment, or for the
exchange of ideas and knowledge across
different sectors and businesses, remains
relevant.
Similarly, the way that travellers think
about cleanliness, hygiene, access to
healthcare, and ‘contactless’ travel will
become more exacting and demanding.
STB will work with Singapore’s
tourism industry to examine these
opportunities, so as to strengthen our
mindshare now, and to position ourselves
to take advantage of these shifts and
opportunities when the demand for
international travel returns.
This is an abridged and edited version of an
original interview published by City Nation
Place. Full interview
available at: www.
citynationplace.com/
stakeholders-
citizens-covid-19-crisis-
singapore
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