Singapore plans to expand the range of business visitors to boost its hard-hit tourism sector, with the return of mass travel still a long way off amid the pandemic, according to the head of the country's tourism agency.[SINGAPORE] Singapore is seeking to open the door to a wider range of business and leisure visitors to boost its hard-hit tourism sector, with the return of mass travel still a long way off amid the pandemic, according to the head of the country's tourism agency.
The industry expects more job losses in the coming months once existing government support for rent, taxes and salaries starts tapering off, Keith Tan, chief executive officer of the Singapore Tourism Board said Tuesday in an interview with Bloomberg Television's Haslinda Amin. Job losses so far in the sector have been in the"very low thousands," he said.
"Whether it is a broader range of business visitors or, for example, small groups of tightly controlled leisure visitors, all these are being considered and are on the table," said Mr Tan. He added the tourism board is discussing with the government to expand green lane arrangements, now in place with Malaysia and China, to a broader range of visitors.
Singapore's travel-related sectors, which contribute about 4 per cent of its gross domestic product, is grappling with what could be the city-state's worst recession wrought by the coronavirus pandemic. Retail sales plunged by more than 50 per cent in May from a year earlier, with outlets trying to woo tourists in areas like the Orchard Road shopping strip particularly hard-hit.
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