Animal parks and gardens score with tourists

Attractions which banked on nature's appeal, such as the Night Safari, were popular with those who took part in a poll

By Arlina Arshad and Eunice Lau and Krist Boo

WHEN it comes to what tourists like about Singapore's attractions, animal parks and gardens consistently scored high marks, according to interviews with 100 visitors.

The Night Safari, Jurong BirdPark and Botanic Gardens were given the thumbs-up. Tourists praised the use of 'natural' settings and the sheer variety of species.

But theme parks such as Haw Par Villa and those in Sentosa were dismissed as 'superficial and unnatural'.

Cultural quarters, such as Little India, were also rated highly as they were considered 'different'. But dusty streets, traffic jams and too many shops selling similar things spoiled the experience for some.

The Straits Times interviewed the tourists at 10 places of interest last week to get their views on how to improve tourist attractions here.

They were asked what they thought of the attractions and to rate them between one (poor) and five (excellent).

No attraction was slapped with a poor rating and the majority fell between the satisfactory and good range.

But visitors to the Botanic Gardens and the Night Safari consistently awarded these places a five.

Dr Rashmi Hegde, from India, said of the Night Safari: 'You can see the animals in their natural habitat, which makes them beautiful and dignified. Most of the time, being in zoos makes me feel sorry for the animals.'

In recent weeks, there has been much public discussion on how to revamp the tourism industry to draw more tourists.

The Government has identified tourism, education and health as having great potential for growth. The tourism industry alone employs more than 130,000 people and accounts for 5 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product.

For Nature Society president Geh Min, the visitors' feedback is timely. Just last week, she wrote to The Straits Times' Forum Page to say that Singapore's nature reserves are untapped tourist attractions.

Arguing for their conservation, she said in an interview: 'If we have no nature and everything is man-made, we'll attract fewer tourists.'

But the Singapore Tourism Board pointed out that all the attractions were rated three stars and above, which proved that its strategy of offering a range of attractions is right.

Ms Yeow Mei Sin, deputy director of marketing communications, said: 'Our emphasis is still on diversity.'

Mr Francis Phun, chairman of the Association of Singapore Attractions, said seven out of 10 visitors here are Asians and do not find nature as appealing as Europeans.

However, Mr Bernard Harrison, chief executive officer of Wildlife Reserves Singapore, thinks that more can be done to sell 'unsung' places such as Sungei Buloh Nature Park and Pulau Ubin.

He said: 'If we make the nature spots more accessible, even the non-hardcore eco-tourists will be interested.'

He attributed the Night Safari's success to its uniqueness: Letting people see animals in their natural habitat at night, since 95 per cent of mammals are nocturnal.

He said: 'We took what we have and maximised it. It's pointless to recreate what is available elsewhere.'

Swiss tourist Rene Rollier, 36, who has been to Singapore 20 times in the last 10 years, could not have agreed more.

When he visits, he mingles with locals at hawker centres and housing estates.

He said: 'When I go abroad, I want an authentic experience of the country.'

RATING SYSTEM

1: Poor
2: Below average
3: Satisfactory
4: Good
5: Excellent