More agency bosses to become kopi kia as Chinese tourists siam Singapore

http://www.businesstimes.com.sg/pre...als-slump-quick-rebound-not-expected-20140730

Published July 30, 2014

Chinese tourist arrivals slump; quick rebound not expected

MH370's disappearance, Thai crisis, new China tourism laws, recent crashes dent travel confidence

By

sheena tan

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Dwindling numbers: Tourist arrivals from China dived 14 per cent in the first quarter of this year, and anecdotal evidence from industry players for the second quarter is not encouraging. - PHOTO: LIM SIN THAI/THE STRAITS TIMES

[SINGAPORE] Big-spending tourists from China are becoming a less common sight here, and this could put a dent on the Republic's tourism earnings

And the falling number of tourists to Singapore from China could take at least another half a year to recover, according to travel agencies.

Preliminary numbers from the Singapore Tourism Board's (STB) website showed that overall visitor arrivals for January to May were down 1.7 per cent at 6.3 million from a year ago. More starkly, visitor arrivals from China fell a sharp 27.4 per cent in the same period.

According to a recent report from STB, tourist arrivals from China took a hit during the first quarter, diving 14 per cent from a year ago. The finalised numbers for the second quarter are not out yet, but anecdotal evidence from industry players is not encouraging.

The travel figures fell because the Thais protested against the chinese tourists, the chinese also stopped coming here because they cannot read singapore road signs and cannot speak english. Want to gamble also cannot speak english. They are not sophisticated to be welcomed by other developed countries.

I think it's not just the travel agencies that will be affected, but the whole economy that is "driven" to these tourists. From Orchard Road boutique stalls for branded goods.. to the many different tourists' haunts.. all will be affected.

But, in a certain way, I think it will be a good thing for Singaporeans. It could be just the thing to weed out over-reliance on tourist dollars and start focusing on creating new products and services.. and hopefully make creativity and innovation in business and entrepreneurship pave the way for Singaporeans to etch out a fresh start.

This over-reliance on tourist dollars is not healthy, and we need to wake up and start doing things differently.. and change is definitely needed before anything positive can happen. With change, things may not be rosy at first, but with peserverance and determination, who knows what we might accomplish?