Tag: tourism

A Cheapskate’s Guide to Enjoying Singapore

May 17, 2015 • Blog • 2 comments

Anybody wants a $1 T-shirt and 50 cents underwear?

How can you enjoy yourself in Singapore without spending a bomb? Especially if you have a family with kids in tow?

A lot has been written about the high cost of living in Singapore.

They include a recent study by the Economist Intelligence Unit which ranked Singapore as the world’s most expensive city to live in, a clarification by our Finance Minister that living costs are higher for expatriates (as opposed to locals) due to the strong Singapore dollar.

Can We Make Singapore Tourists More Happy?

November 26, 2014 • Blog, Business and Management • 5 comments

Oh dear! Customer satisfaction has dropped this year, according to a survey done by the Institute of Service Excellence (ISES).

Reading various reports in The Straits Times, TODAY and Business Times, several sobering statistics await us:

Owning Your Customer’s Experience (Part 2)

January 11, 2013 • Business and Management • no comments

Singapore Airlines cabin crew are trained to own the customer experience (image from Singapore Airlines)

Does your organisation hold a common view of the customer experience? Does everyone know what it looks like when it is done well? What are you willing to give up to get it?

These questions frame the development of a customer experience vision for any tourism business.

Owning Your Customer’s Experience (Part 1)

January 9, 2013 • Business and Management • no comments

Courtesy of HotelManagement.Net

The world has changed. Customers now have all the information they need to decide where they wish to visit, what they want to buy, and what services they require.

With an attention span of 90 seconds or less (at 140 characters each time), business as usual isn’t going to cut it for the Facebook and Twitter generation. The game has changed from word of mouth to world of mouse.

How Service Leaders Innovate

December 29, 2012 • Blog, Business and Management • 1 comment

Sentosa’s WAVE ensures that guest centric values are instilled in all employees (courtesy of Sentosa)

What distinguishes service stars from other establishments? Is there a magic formula?

Well, the answer is less to do with rocket science than with investing in people.

Can we attract Millennials to tourism jobs?

October 17, 2012 • Blog • 1 comment

Can we attract these youths to tourism and hospitality jobs? (courtesy of Singapore International Foundation)

Hilton, we’ve got a problem.

On one hand, the travel and hospitality industry is desperately in need of workers. Labour-intensive and high-touch, tourism sector jobs in hotels, retail outlets, visitor attractions, F&B, and transport are always available.

10 Mega Trends for the Next Decade

August 16, 2012 • Blog • 1 comment

The Internet of Things is a Mega Trend for the next Decade (courtesy of Take Me To Your Leader)

If we can gaze into the crystal ball, what would the future behold? How would the next 10 years be like in terms of business, society and culture?

Thanks to an invitation from the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), I discovered these answers in a talk given by Manoj Menon, Managing Director APAC of Frost & Sullivan at the recent PATA Hub City Forum 2012.

Gardens by the Bay Blossoms

June 28, 2012 • Blog • no comments

A pristinely curated garden sprawled over 101 hectares in area, Gardens by the Bay is 36% larger than the Singapore Botanic Gardens and populated by more than 750,000 plants in total. Opened last night by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, the project costed more than $1 billion and boasts of 7 key attractions including the Dragonfly and Kingfisher Lakes, World of Plants, Heritage Gardens and the Bay East Garden.

Fantabulous Fun at Phuket FantaSea

January 7, 2012 • Blog • 3 comments

The beautifully designed Palace of the Elephants Theatre at Phuket FantaSea

Claimed to be the “Ultimate Nighttime Cultural Theme Park”, Phuket FantaSea is Thailand’s first cultural theme park located close to Kamala Beach on Phuket island. Focusing on a motley mix of “Myth, Mystery and Magic”, Phuket FantaSea blends Thailand’s exotic heritage with a carnivalesque Mardi Gras like feel that is more Vegas than Vegas itself.

Occupying a sprawling 140 acres (or approximately 57 hectares), it features the “Fantasy of a Kingdom” show in the 3,000 seat “Palace of the Elephants” theatre, a huge cavernous 4,000 seat restaurant (Golden Kinnaree Buffet Resataurant), a Tiger Jungle Adventure, the Similan Entertainment Centre featuring carnival games, and a Carnival Village offering lots of specialty retail outlets.

Bangkok – Haven of Hedonism, Holiness and Health

September 2, 2011 • Blog • 1 comment

There is nothing quite like a trip to Bangkok to revive, refresh and rejuvenate one’s jaded senses. From ultra-modern shopping malls, colourful street markets, health giving spas, larger-than-life shows to fabulous culinary delights, one is never spoilt for choice. Indulgence became our middle names as we soaked in the Sun – and rain – splashed pleasures of Asia’s “Sin City” during a short 3 Day 2 Night trip there.

What can one do in this city that never sleeps? Plenty of course! Let me count the ways…