The Republic of Singapore is a host to numerous global sporting events. According to experts, considering the fact that the republic already boasts of state-of-the -art facilities, the Singapore nationals can help boost as well as sustain the local sports tourism industry if they become more actively involved in the sports scene.
The sporting events Singapore hosts are expected to help bring in the money. The Republic is host to golf and tennis tournaments, and the Singapore Grand Prix, as well as the World Rugby Series that is expected to land on its shores next year.
The major reason the involvement of the locals in the sporting scene is so much anticipated is the fact that by boosting the tourism industry, businesses will thrive. According to Ms. Christine Khoo, Republic Polytechnic School of Sports, Health and Leisure lecturer, the boom in tourism related business is bound to occur. She considers the fact that with tourists coming, there will occur a higher demand for facilities such as accommodations, entertainment, food and beverage. The higher demand will cause higher spending for such facilities and products ultimately creating additional income.
According to Ms. Lorraine Gan, who is a Tourism and Resort Management lecturer at Singapore Polytechnic, the people in the tourism and sporting industry are anticipating more activity as the main events approach. Ms. Gan further notes that in as much the events sell on their own, how they are packaged matters a lot. She says that facilities like clinics, as well as other events should be included. An example of such events is organizing big concerts welcoming for example, the Maroon 5. The significance of good event packaging is to ensure that the visitors get reason to stay longer in Singapore. This will ensure that they get to visit the local sights too – museums, local attractions, and heritage and cultural centers.
Apart from using good event and tour packages to ensure visitors get reason to stay longer, having local athletes promote the sporting events and using the Singapore nationals will also work. All the Singapore nationals ought to be ambassadors of the country to ensure it is known to be a fun, vibrant country full of heart and spirit.
She said that if for instance, a Singapore national is seated with someone else in the F1 paddock who is a visitor from say Asia, Australia, Germany or USA, just greeting them and initiating some conversation is warm enough to form the urge to really stay longer and enjoy.
Therefore, with several other games set to be hosted in the country for the next few years, the locals are highly encouraged to be active and take up more roles. They can opt to volunteer in the tourism and sporting facilities or apply for internships.