JANUARY 2023 — Singapore’s tourism industry remains a key growth sector in 2023, with international arrivals expected to double from 6.3 million visitors last year to around 12 to 14 million visitors this year.

This rebound opens new possibilities for tourism, especially in fast-growing areas like digitalisation and technology.

Today’s Partnerships, Tomorrow’s Opportunities

In support of ongoing trends, RP signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with five partners in January 2023. 

Hailing from the travel, technology and sustainability sectors, RP’s partners — the Association of Singapore Attractions (ASA), GlobalTix Pte Ltd, Hiverlab International Pte Ltd, Journeys Pte Ltd, and Woopa Travels Pte Ltd — pave the way for a new era of tourism.

The MOU provides a platform for industry to establish closer ties with RP for tourism of the future. 

“This is not a one-way interaction,” says Mr Chan Chee Kong, Chief Operating Officer of GlobalTix Pte Ltd, about the type of environment he hopes to cultivate when working with RP. With the increasing number of young travellers, their suggestions and feedback will play a crucial role in shaping the future of travel experiences. As such, Mr Chan eagerly looks forward to interacting with students and incorporating their perspectives on attractions, tours and tourist activities into future solutions.

Building Capabilities That Revitalise the Industry

The exposure gained by RP lecturers and students will “keep [the industry] updated as they are shaping the future of tourism professionals”, according to Mr Jeya Ayadurai MBE, Chairman of ASA.

Mr Ayadurai advocates that working together as an ecosystem will bring in the knowledge and action needed to get Singapore back to the cutting-edge of tourism. As part of the MOU, RP will work with partners to ensure the relevance of our Diploma in Tourism Management with Technology (DTMT) curriculum across a diverse range of sectors. Students from DTMT will also have the opportunity to learn from industry experts.

Such arrangements create a dynamic environment where RP works hand-in-hand with partners to develop capabilities that enhance Singapore’s tourism sector.

Promoting Growth Through Digitalisation and Technology

In addition to capability building, the MOU encourages more creative use of technology and furthers the growth of the tourism sector.

As noted by Mr Ender Jiang Shutao, Founder & Chief Executive Officer of Hiverlab International Pte Ltd, “There are many opportunities where a space can be digitalised, extended or augmented.” However, this requires working with owners, different integration partners, and institutes to train future users and owners. “As a start-up, we cannot do this alone,” he said, highlighting the importance of collaborating to improve digital infrastructure in the tourism industry.

RP endeavours to explore such opportunities through our new partnerships, with students and staff being able to leverage state-of-the-art technology such as CloudExpo, a platform that allows users to create immersive 3D virtual tours.

Looking to the future, we will also explore other meaningful avenues, including joint research and technological ventures, that enable the training of a future-ready workforce and the advancement of the tourism industry as a whole.