Urban Tourism in Singapore: Exploring the Cultural Significance of the Botanic Garden

In this research paper we will discuss about urban tourism  and below are the summaries point:- The research paper focuses on urban tourism in Singapore, specifically exploring the cultural significance of the Botanic Garden. Tourist behavior has shifted towards seeking cultural heritage sites, and the Botanic Garden has seen increased tourist visits since being recognized as a UNESCO heritage site in 2014. The paper highlights the positive reception of urban and cultural tourism, with tourists appreciating the knowledge and visual appeal of the well-planned and structured Botanic Garden.

Running head: URBAN TOURISM
Topic- International Tourism and Hospitality Management (Urban Tourism- Botanic Garden of
Singapore)
Student name
University name
Author notes

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DECLARATION
I hereby declare that the research work carried out is solely an individual effort and the
paper is the result of my own knowledge and experience. Field work was carried out in group to
add efficiency to the process of data collection but the end result interpretation is my own self-
effort. No cultural sentiment was harmed during the research work and it is an ethical work
carried out solely for academic purpose.
Name of the student
University
Date

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The completion of the research paper would not be possible if God’s grace was not
provided. I thank the almighty deep from my heart for providing unforeseen support to me
during my research work. I thank my family, friends, classmates, mentors and other close
acquaintances who have been there through thick and thin during the preparation of this paper.
And a special note of acknowledgement to the Singapore tourism department and botanic garden
officials for their support and encouragement. And last but not the least I sincerely thank my
professor who have encouraged me in completing this paper and has supported me during my
tough times. A big thank you to all for helping me complete the paper on time.

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The research paper is based on urban tourism in Singapore. To be more specific it
includes the cultural or heritage tourism in respect to Botanic gardens in the country. In the year
2014 botanic garden has been identified as the heritage site by UNESCO and after that the yearly
tourist count has increased comparatively. Tourists behavior and preference has also changed in
the recent years. Now tourist opt for such places more having cultural significance. Singapore
has always been a tourist destination because of its vibrant environment and shopping
opportunities. Chinatown is a world-famous shopping destination in Singapore. People visit
Singapore for its skylines and infrastructural developments. How nature and technology can go
hand in hand is shown by Singapore and is exemplary in its endeavor. But now people have
another reason to visit Singapore and that is botanic garden, world famous heritage site. The
research paper focuses on how people accept such heritage tourism living in this e-world. And to
one’s surprise tourists have a positive feeling about urban and cultural tourism. In fact, more and
more tourists are visiting such rich heritage sites and are having good vibes about them. They are
actually gaining enhanced knowledge about history and science and botanic garden is a treat to
the eyes. It is well planned and structured in recent times and includes three main gardens, the
botanic garden, the orchid garden and the ginger garden. There are a number of entrants for
tourists’ convenience and one such entry point was chosen for the research survey to be
conducted. All aspects of theoretical support were included for the paper and results were drawn
based on data surveys. A total of 150 final respondents were considered for the paper and both
visitors and tourism officials there were interviewed and their responses were collected duly.
After primary data collection data was interpreted using MS Excel tool and various pie-charts.
Both qualitative and quantitative data was collected and analyzed. Secondary data on botanic

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garden is collected from previous researches and other internet resources like journals, articles,
blogs, periodicals and tourism official websites. A total of 20 questions were formed due to time
constraint of respondents which includes both open-ended and closed-ended questions.
Responses collected were tabulated in a sheet and field observation is thus finalized. Research
question formed is based on research aims and objectives. Hypothesis testing is also considered
to find the exact knowhow of tourists on cultural tourism. And the end results show that there is
a positive relationship between tourist perception and cultural tourism and holistically urban
tourism. Two questionnaire set is attached in the appendix section with the time line of the
research.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION....................................................................................................8
CHAPTER 2: BACKGROUND OF THE PROJECT.....................................................................9
NATURE OF URBAN TOURISM.............................................................................................9
INFORMATION ABOUT THE DESTINATION....................................................................10
URBAN TOURISM IN SINGAPORE......................................................................................11
POTENTIAL FOR HERITAGE TOURISM.............................................................................12
PREVIOUS RESEARCH..........................................................................................................13
DEVELOPMENT OF A PARTICIULAR ATTRACTION/ACTIVITY..................................13
CHAPTER 3: CONCEPTS AND RELATIVE THEORIES.........................................................14
THEORIES OF TOURIST MOTIVATION..............................................................................14
THEORIES OF CULTURAL/ HERITAGE TOURISM...........................................................15
THEORIES OF CONSUMPTION............................................................................................16
TOURIST TYPOLOGIES.........................................................................................................17
TOURIST ENCLAVES AND BUBBLES................................................................................19
MANAGEMENT AND BUSINESS CONCEPT OF BUILT TOURISM................................20
CHAPTER 4: PROPOSED RESEARCH METHODOLOGY AND ANALYSIS.......................21
PURPOSE OF THE PROJECT.................................................................................................21
AIMS..........................................................................................................................................21
OBJECTIVES............................................................................................................................21
RESEARCH QUESTIONS........................................................................................................22
DISCUSSION OF METHODS TO BE USED..........................................................................22
JUSTIFICATION OF CHOICE.................................................................................................22
LIKELY METHODS OF ANALYSIS......................................................................................23
HYPOTHESIS/PREDICTION..................................................................................................24
LIMITATIONS..........................................................................................................................25
CHAPTER 5: RESULT AND DISCUSSION...............................................................................26
TOURISTS’ FEEDBACK ANALYSIS....................................................................................26
TOURISM OFFICIALS FEEDBACK ANALYSIS..................................................................37
CHAPTER 6: CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION.....................................................42
MAIN FINDINGS OF THE REPORT......................................................................................42

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ANSWER TO THE SET RESEARCH QUESTION.................................................................42
REFERENCE LIST.......................................................................................................................44
APPENDICES...............................................................................................................................47

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CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
The report is a submission of individual field work on Urban Tourism, a part of project
work of International Tourism and Hospitality Management. This discussion paper is based on
UNESCO honored World Heritage Site, the Singapore Botanic Gardens. It is Asia’s top ranked
park attraction since 2013 and was founded by an Agri-horticultural society back in the year
1859 (Nparks.gov.sg, 2019). It is a 158-year-old tropical garden and have more than 10,000
species of flora in it. Annual visitor count amounts to about 4.5 million. The urban tourism
aspect of the Botanic Garden is discussed in the paper in a very lucid and systematic manner. All
relevant points of discussion were considered and an exclusive report work is developed for in-
depth understanding and comprehension of the concept of urban tourism. Starting from
theoretical aspects and literature review to end of practical data analysis and interpretation is
carried out systematically following the formal structure of a research report. Relevant
discussion on required areas is provided in the next sections.

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CHAPTER 2: BACKGROUND OF THE PROJECT
Tourism is one of the world’s fastest growing industries and is a great contributor to
urban economies. International tourism has increased considerably in the South-east Asian
countries specially Singapore and Malaysia (Lee et al., 2016). Travel demand has increased in
recent times and so is the scope of tourism. But Urban tourism is a poorly founded concept area
in research studies carried out till date. The purpose here is to increase scope of urban tourism in
researches so that international tourism flourishes considerably in future.
NATURE OF URBAN TOURISM
In order to understand the nature of urban tourism it is necessary to understand the
underlying concept of it. What is exactly urban tourism? Is tourism and urban tourism same?
There is actually no simple definition of urban tourism, it is an extremely complex and
ambiguous concept to define (Lamers, Van der Duim and Spaargaren, 2017). For better
comprehension of urban tourism, it is important to understand tourism concept first. Tourism has
been defined by the United Nations World Tourism Organization as a social and economic
phenomenon that drives people (tourists) to travel away from their residential areas for not more
than a year (Maitland and Newman, 2014). The reasons for travel may be business related or for
personal leisure and happiness or may be the thirst of exploring the unknown. Urban tourism
consists of more diverse sets of activities and factor considerations. As defined by the European
Commission urban tourism is a set of tourist activities and resources located generally in cities
and towns and tourism scope is offered to visitors from elsewhere exclusive of the parent city. If
only location factor is considered than city tourism is urban tourism. Paradoxically, urban
tourism activities can be found in non-urban areas as well (Mason, 2015). So, what can be
concluded is that urban tourism is not limited to only set of destination but is a set of more than

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one activity and includes mingling with a number of ‘urban’ ways of life and living. It may be
inter-city visit and may include historical visit to neighborhood places, architectural valued place
visits, participation in various cultural and art events like exhibitions, fairs, concerts, festivals,
conventions and many such. Researching on urban tourism therefore, requires an enhanced
research on exploration of urban regeneration, city marketing, town branding and mega events
held (Miller, Merrilees and Coghlan, 2015). Urban tourism consists of several sub themes which
includes management and planning, transportation, infrastructure, sustainability, cultural
agendas, tourist city typology, urban regeneration and finally perception and satisfaction of
visitors.
INFORMATION ABOUT THE DESTINATION
The world heritage site Singapore Botanic Gardens is chosen for the research work on
urban tourism. It is a 158-year old tropical garden which is located at the outlying Orchard Road
shopping district of Singapore (Nparks.gov.sg, 2019). It has been awarded as the inaugural
garden of the year in past times and has also won International Garden Tourism Award in the
year 2012. Previously it offered research opportunities for plant cultivation and horticulture. It
has basically 3 gardens, one is the Botanic Garden, the other being the National Orchid Garden
and the third one is the Ginger garden (Nparks.gov.sg, 2019). The orchid garden provides ample
scope for study of hybrid genetics and has almost 1200 species of orchids. It is popularly known
as the Garden city of Singapore. The hybrid variety of climbing orchid named Vanda Miss
Joaquim is named the nation’s national flower. The VIP orchid garden provides orchid
diplomacy honor to visiting state heads, celebrities and other dignitaries. It is the only garden
that is open to tourists from 5.00 am in the morning to 12.00 in the midnight 365 days across the

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calendar. Its 82 hectares vertical stretch of land comprises about 10,000 floral species and it has
approximately 4.5 million annual visitors (Nparks.gov.sg, 2019).
The National parks Board has overtaken the Botanic Garden in recent times and the
garden ahs been revitalized with modern and improved public amenities, R&D facilities and
other cultural upliftment. The main focus in recent times include Garden city visit, Horticulture,
biodiversity and taxonomic researches, educational importance and recreational activities.
Recently Garden’s Learning Forest is extended that includes a Forest Conservation Interpretive
Centre and a Natural History Art Gallery (Nparks.gov.sg, 2019). The visitors are allowed to see
and appreciate the unique collection flora-fauna collection showcased in the learning forest and
could participate in thematic walk within the forest. The main attractions include giant trees,
unique textured barks of trees, rare fruit collections, nut species and a beautiful bamboo garden
in it. There is also a small tropical rainforest and a ginger garden. A separate children garden is
also there called Jacob Ballas. Other attractions include Palm valley, sun and sundial garden,
symphony lake, Eco lake, swan lake and Bandstand area (Nparks.gov.sg, 2019). There is no
entry fee except for the orchid garden.
URBAN TOURISM IN SINGAPORE
There is a common misconception about tourism policy that is, it basically redefines
promotion and marketing campaigns for urbanization (Kim and Ritchie, 2014). An important
aspect is often overlooked and that is the relationship between creative city planning and
tourism. Singapore has the most vibrant global culture in regard to city planning and tourism has
reshaped its environment, conservation, heritage polices and has enhanced overall quality of life
of the people there. Singapore’s global reputation and worldly attractiveness has been anchored

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by the success of its global tourism and has redefined the business and living standards in the
country (Mowforth and Munt, 2015). The city planning supports its tourism strategies and vice
versa. Actually, Singapore has limited tourism assets and no one ever thought of the country
accommodating millions of tourists in recent times. There is a heaven-hell difference in the
urban tourism approach in Singapore then and now. In the 1960s Singapore suffered from lack of
urban infrastructural amenities and had no natural resources as such. Maritime trade was the only
business alternative and scope of Foreign Direct Investment was also limited. But then focus on
tourism was given and it was found to be a viable option for economic growth. All credit goes to
dynamic urban governance and integrated master planning for development (Hong, 2014).
Singapore managed to set up well-structured urban infrastructure against all odds and was able to
maintain its cultural heritage as well. Singapore call itself the Garden city of the world and aims
to be the world’s greenest (Richards, 2014). Adversity of successful tourism is a direct cause of
negative environmental impact. Pollution increases and green nature is endangered. In order to
mitigate such risks Singapore has incorporated green urban planning that includes green roofs,
verdant walls, green buildings and cascading vertical walls (Jovicic, 2016). Singapore is one of
the richest diversified countries in the world and is a true cosmopolitan that have successfully
managed its cultural heritage along with its architectural legacy.
POTENTIAL FOR HERITAGE TOURISM
Singapore is a true merger of the old and the new. It is able to preserve its cultural
heritages of Chinese, Indian and Malay legacy. It has skylines and skylarks on one hand and has
age old heritage sites like Botanic garden and colonial British architectures on the other.
Singapore is thus the perfect nation for potential consideration of heritage tourism (Richards,
2016). Tourism in Singapore will provide a full 360-degree experience of history and present-

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day technology. The Tourism Board has focused on Urban tourism that includes heritage tourism
in it (Henderson, 2015). Botanic Garden in Singapore is the right choice of explaining urban
tourism with the thematic aspect of heritage park in it.
PREVIOUS RESEARCH
Tourism is one of the common research areas in regard to hospitality management but
Urban Tourism has been an area that remained aloof from the preview of extensive research.
Singapore is one of the best tourist destinations of modern-day tourists and is one of the highest
ranked international destination people love to visit. A lot of journal articles have been written on
Singapore as a tourist destination, urbanization in Singapore, cultural heritage of Singapore and
also on modernization in Singapore (Richards, 2014). But a limited research has been made on
urban tourism focusing on heritage sites of Singapore. Botanic garden has remained away from
research and people have less idea about its importance in cultural heritage (Saarinen, Moswete
and Monare, 2014). So, here an attempt to discuss the area still undiscovered has been made and
urban tourism in regard to botanic garden has been considered for discussion. For the report
extensive field work has been conducted and a lot of visitors have been interviewed about their
viewpoint of cultural heritage about botanic garden. Secondary data has been collected from
various historical sites of Singapore culture and heritage and online data extraction has been
emphasized upon the most for this analytical report.
DEVELOPMENT OF A PARTICIULAR ATTRACTION/ACTIVITY
In 2014 Botanic garden became the first heritage site in the history of Singapore.
Basically, it is a combination of three gardens- the Botanic garden, the orchid garden and the
ginger garden. For the increased and in-depth analysis of the research work the Botanic Garden
is considered. The whole botanic garden has a number of multiple entrances which make it really

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difficult to collect feedback from all visitors. And so, the Bukit Timah entrance for ethnobotany
garden is considered and all possible visitors were interviewed during the visiting hours. This
interview session continued for days till enough feedback is received for supporting the main
findings.

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CHAPTER 3: CONCEPTS AND RELATIVE THEORIES
No research is complete without theoretical support. Literature review provides
weightage and meaning to the research findings. They provide direction to the research and
enables the reader to have better understanding of the end results. Drawing conclusion becomes
easier and a clearer approach of data interpretation is provided. The various theoretical support
for the research on urban tourism is provided in this section.
THEORIES OF TOURIST MOTIVATION
Tourist motivation theories provide the factors that influence a person to travel.
Motivation is the major factors that is behind the compelling behavioral force to travel (Smith,
2015). Psychological depletion is the motive that allows the vacation makers to replenish and
restore the gap and when they return, they will come back recharged, restored and replenished.
Vacation provides a break from routine monotonous life and provide equilibrium (Papadimitriou,
Apostolopoulou and Kaplanidou, 2015). Travel elements provide people the opportunity for self-
recognition and ego-enhancement. The socio-psychological element of ‘anomie’ describes tourist
travel behavior as an act of affection and social interaction. It provides fresh communication
scope by reducing suppressed feeling of isolation of everyday life.
The famous ‘push and pull’ factor support provides explanation to travel behavior and
tourist motivations. Push factors drive the person away from home and pull factor drive the
person towards the desired destination (Thiagarajah et al., 2015). Push factors are mostly
psychological in nature while pull factors are linked to exploration of the unknown or desire to
be fulfilled. There are almost seven psychological motives that motivates a person to travel. They
are escape from the boring monotonous environment, self-exploration and self-evaluation,

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prestige, relaxation, regression and kinship relationship enhancement and also facilitation of
increased social interaction (Tang, 2014). There are two cultural motives as well, education and
novelty. Motives can also be sun lust and wander lust ones. Sun lust is desiring for better
experiences and wander lust simply includes a change of normal life and experience different
culture and place at large.
The Iso-Ahola’s motivation theory proposes that personal escape and interpersonal
escape, personal seeking and interpersonal seeking motivates tourism and widens recreational
scopes.
According to the tourist career ladder approach the more and more a tourist explores the
unknown the more will be the motive for travel and vice versa (García-Hernández, de la Calle-
Vaquero and Yubero, 2017). Though there is no evidence of such behavior but still tourists have
a career ladder and their bucket list help in climbing that ladder with gradual pace of time and
opportunity.
The ultimate decision-making process is a very crucial one and incorporates a number of
factors. Tourists can be varied. Some love to explore new destinations each time they travel and
some like to visit the same place every year. satisfaction varies from people to people and so is
their decision-making in regard to travelling (Timothy, 2017). Decision-making is based on
several factors like time, cost, location, amenities, social position, professional commitment and
many others. Using travel destination sets will help in narrowing done alternatives and help in
easy decision-making. The framework includes total set, awareness set, available set, possible
choices, evoked set, and final decision.

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THEORIES OF CULTURAL/ HERITAGE TOURISM
Cultural tourism or heritage tourism is one of the major contributors of economic revenue
for a nation. At least 20% of the total tourism revenue is collected from cultural tourism itself.
Previous study reports suggest that more than 60% of travelers choose cultural tourism for their
future trips and have shown interest in heritage sites of Singapore. Heritage tourism is a
purposeful travel which allows the traveler to increase their knowledge of history, heritage and
other cultural differences in lifestyle of the people from a different background from theirs
(Füller and Michel, 2014). Cultural tourism contributes to conservation of cultural resources and
thereby enhances the economic well-being opportunities of that community. Cultural tourism can
be of three types based on the nature of tourists (Tribe, Dann and Jamal, 2015). They are
demographic, motivational and moral tourist.
THEORIES OF CONSUMPTION
Tourism consumption system framework is a set of connected travel thoughts, choices,
decisions and behavioral attributes by a traveler before, during and after the trip. The main
concept here is that the decision, thought and the behavior of the first activity will affect the rest
activities and all are interlinked to each other (Durovic and Loverentjev, 2014). The system helps
in increasing the effectiveness of tourism market strategies. Exit interview and cluster analysis
supports the decision-making process and provides better understanding of the behavioral pattern
of the visitors. Budgeting is a major concern of tourists and they need to have a vague pre-budget
about their cost involvement in their desired tourism (Wise, 2016). The tourism consumption
budgeting has the following stages,

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(Timothy, 2017)
TOURIST TYPOLOGIES
Tourist typologies are the descriptions of the distinctive forms of tourist behavior and
reflects motivation, travel style, interest and other tour related attributes. The model of tourist
typology provides a detailed understanding of the tourist diversity (Zamfir and Corbos, 2015).
The typology has changed over time and its complexity has also increased simultaneously.
Typology divides tourists into different groups to find out the exact need of the tourists. A
framework of tourist typology is provided here.
Based on preferred destination
Total budget available
Budget for tourism items Budget for non-tourism items
Expenditure in Singapore Expenditure in other destinations
Shopping
Accommodation
Meals outside hotels
Others
Stage 1
Stage 2
Stage 3

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 Allocentric (seek new destinations and take risk in searching new cultures)
 Psychocentric (seek familiar destinations and are risk-averse having conservative
choices)
Based on age and economy
 Non-institutionalized
Drifter and
explorer
 Institutionalized
organized mass tourists and
individual mass tourists
Based on touristic experience
 recreational
 diversionary
 experiential
 experimental and
 existential
Based on demographic aspects
 explorer
 elite
 off-beat

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 unusual
 incipient mass
 mass
 charter
Based on destination interest and motivation
 ethnic
 cultural
 historical
 environmental and
 recreational
Based on contemporary tourism
 annual vacation or holiday break
 passage tourism related to adulthood and career changes
TOURIST ENCLAVES AND BUBBLES
Enclave tourism is a destination where tourist activities are planned, structured and
congregated into a bounded geographical area and tourist are allowed to experience their travel
entirety and fulfil their intentions without travelling faraway places (Aitchison et al., 2014). They
are cheaper and are not much profitable to the host country. It faces huge criticism because it
lacks to bridge the interaction among tourists and local residents and it is said that enclave
tourism is a conscious decision undertaken for segregating the tourist from the general
population of that area (Crang, 2014). The main objective behind enclave tourism is to gain

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foreign exchange benefit without harming the indigenous culture by foreign tourists. The main
characteristics of enclave tourism are,
 Mainly based on foreign tourists. A cruise ship industry is an example of enclave tourism.
 Enclaves are socially, economically and physically enclosed and are self-contained
(Chang, 2016).
 Tourists feel hardly any need to go out from the enclave.
 Level of communication with local people is nil.
 A total controlled management tourism.
 Lifestyle in the enclave is different from the surrounding areas.
 Enclaves are artificially built and can exist in any destination.
Bubbles are generally the geographic area boundary for visitor participation, beyond which
they are not allowed for social as well as for security reasons (Altunel and Erkurt, 2015).
Enclaves and bubbles are sometimes used synonymously in urban tourism.
MANAGEMENT AND BUSINESS CONCEPT OF BUILT TOURISM
Traditional tourism has been improved in recent times and is replaced by modern built
tourism. In order to increase sustainability of the tourism sector management governance and
business entities are focusing on built tourism. Tourism sector has flourished in recent times and
is contributing to the global economies of scale to a great extent (Boes, Buhalis and Inversini,
2015). Singapore was previously an economy of maritime trade, but global impact has been good
to the nation and it is now one of the most developing countries of Asia. The urban development
committee and governing bodies has put on lot of emphasis on architectural and environmental
concerns while developing the infrastructural framework of Singapore (Bramwell, 2015). It is
now a country to behold the visionary sight. Visitors generally like the shopping spree there and

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street foods as well. But cultural tourism has now been focused and visitors’ number has
increased in recent times in regard to cultural urban tourism in Singapore.

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CHAPTER 4: PROPOSED RESEARCH METHODOLOGY AND ANALYSIS
PURPOSE OF THE PROJECT
The purpose of the research paper is to have a clear understating of urban tourism in
Singapore. The heritage botanic garden is chosen for discussion and their visitor profile is
studied in order to draw the final conclusion of urban tourism in the country (Brouder and
Ioannides, 2014). An extensive field work is carried out and feedback of visitors are used to
interpret results. How urban tourism, specifically heritage tourism is impacting overall global
tourism sector will be found out in this paper and recommendations will be provided based on
the data analysis results.
AIMS
The aims include,
 To examine the perception of people and explore the impact of heritage tourism in urban
settlements in the country
 To explore the practice of heritage tourism management in regard to urban tourism
OBJECTIVES
The major objectives of the research are,
 To find out the nature of the people influences on urban heritage tourism and their
typologies
 To examine the tourist’s perception of the impact of heritage tourism in and outside the
country
 To examine why the perceptions, differ according to tourists and other business service
providers

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 And to find out the impact of cultural tourism on overall global tourism
RESEARCH QUESTIONS
The main research question includes,
 How is tourists’ perception linked to heritage tourism and with overall urban tourism?
DISCUSSION OF METHODS TO BE USED
In order to increase reliability of the paper this research article has sued both primary and
secondary data collection approaches. Using Google as the main search engine various
previously researched articles, related websites, journals, periodicals, blogs and other tourist
information sites were considered for data collection. In addition to the secondary sources
primary source of direct data collection from visitors at Botanic garden is also considered. For
the survey the botanic garden was visited during peak winter holidays when the visitor rush was
maximum and also on off season. Field notes and photographs were taken and the tourist guide
books were also consulted to examine the cultural heritage of Botanic garden in recent times.
other tourism officials were interviewed taking prior appointment.
Thematic content analysis approach was considered for examining how tourists see
botanic garden as a tourist site and how its cultural tourism attracts them. For data analysis a
grounded approach is used where both open coding of broad themes and focused coding of
identified themes is used. Each set of data is analyzed separately but is consolidated at the end to
find the similarity index of responses.
JUSTIFICATION OF CHOICE
Primary data collected through questionnaire is analyzed by the help of MS Excel. Both
qualitative and quantitative data analysis tools were used for data interpretation and analysis.

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Data is tabulated with the help of charts and graphs. A number of visitors were approached for
their feedback but some of them denied and some helped in providing feedback. The research
design used includes the cross-sectional sampling survey design and the case study of botanic
garden is chosen. A deductive approach and positivism theoretical support is considered for the
research work.
LIKELY METHODS OF ANALYSIS
The table below provides a holistic picture of the research design of the various analysis methods
used for data interpretation.
Methodology approaches Summary
Type of data Primary and secondary
Primary data
 Qualitative (field observation and interview with tourism
officials)
 Quantitative (visitors survey and business provider
survey)
Secondary data includes websites, journals, books, articles etc.
Questionnaire design Open-ended and closed-ended, semi-structured and inventory
forms. The Five-point Likert scale is used for questionnaires.
A total of 20 questions were set up for the survey, 10 for each of
visitor and business providers.
Data collection and site
inventory
 Visitor survey (random sampling) and business provider
survey (systematic sampling)

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 Observation and field evidence
 Interviews
Data analysis and
interpretation
 MS Excel
 Video recording, photographs and mapping
 Content analysis
Sample size and details of
key findings
At the given field survey time a total of 150 respondents’
feedback is collected among which 42% was male, 51% was
female and 7% was school level children. Age of survey
participants ranged between 12 to 70 years. 63% of them was
first time visitors to Botanic garden as well as Singapore, 37%
has been previous visitors. 35% were from the country itself and
are native Singaporeans and 18% were majorly foreign tourists.
Majority of Sample survey respondents were from China, Japan,
Malaysia, Indonesia, Korea. Tourists from Australia and Europe
were also included to add weightage to the survey.
HYPOTHESIS/PREDICTION
Null hypothesis (H0): there is not a direct and positive relation between tourist’s perception and
heritage tourism
Alternative hypothesis (H1): there is a direct and positive relation between tourist’s perception
and heritage tourism

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LIMITATIONS
The data collection process has a number of limitations as follows,
 Sample number was restricted to 150 only though almost double its number were
approached for the survey
 The tourism officials do not disclose some closed information due to tourism policies and
data privacy laws.
 Some tourists do not complete the survey and left some questions answered
 Since children (12 years and above) were included in the survey some answers were not
provided by them due to lack of knowledge
 Some respondents were interviewed orally because they were not agreeing to write their
feedback on pen and paper
 As field observation was carried out in groups the group dynamics varied in some cases.
 All answers provided were not genuine and has impacted the end results.

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CHAPTER 5: RESULT AND DISCUSSION
Presentation of results, data in charts, graphs and tables with critical analysis
Sample size: 150
Number of questions answered: 20 (10 for tourist questionnaire and 10 for tourism officials)
Only quantitative questions were analyzed here.
TOURISTS’ FEEDBACK ANALYSIS
Demography of tourists
Male
42%
Female
51%
Children
7%
DEMOGRAPHY
Male Female Children
Interpretation: survey result show that maximum respondents were female and constitutes about
51% of the total respondents. Male percentage is 42% and school going children, above 12 years
of age also took active participation and constituted about 7% of the respondents. Age of
respondents varied between 12 years to 70 years.

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Type of tourists
Researchers
22%
native people
35%
Individuals
10%
School goers
15%
foreign visitors
18%
TYPES OF TOURISTS
Researchers native people Individuals School goers foreign visitors
Interpretation: study results show that maximum percentage of visitors are native Singaporeans
followed by researchers, foreigners and academic students. This revel the importance of botanic
garden in terms of increasing knowledge and explore the unknown and its importance also as a
recreational place. Native people love cycling and jogging here. There are a lot of areas that need
to be learned and are quite interesting. So, all types of tourists come here to have a glimpse of the
cultural heritage site and increase their knowledge.
Frequency of visit

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first time
visitors
63%
previous
visitors
37%
FREQUENCY OF VISIT
first time visitors previous visitors
Interpretation: The frequency of visit reveals that percentage of first-time visitors is more than
existing visitors but existing visitors also do come here as they found the place interesting and
spend quality time exploring the garden.
Native vs foreign tourists
Native visitors
48%
foreign
visitors
52%
NATIVE VS FOREIGN
Native visitors foreign visitors

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Interpretation: it is found that foreigners find the botanic garden more interesting than native
Singaporeans. But native people do visit this garden frequently for recreational purposes. Among
foreigners it is one of the best places of visit in Singapore tourism.
Country wise classification
China
35%
Indonesia
15%
Malaysia
15%
Korea
5%
Japan
7%
Australia
10%
Europe
13%
COUNTRY BASED TOURISTS
China Indonesia Malaysia Korea Japan
Australia Europe
Interpretation: This classification proves that Singapore is one of the most liked tourist
destinations in the world and people from various countries come here for experiencing urban
tourism and cultural heritage tourism. Maximum foreign visitors are from China, Malaysia and
Indonesia. But visitors from other countries like Korea, Japan, Europe and Australia also come
here.
Purpose of visit to Singapore

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Business trip
10%
Personal Vacation
25%
Historical trip
10%Pilgrimage
5%
Shopping
15%
Cultural heritage trip
15%
Education and research
10%
Adventure
5%
Natural recreation
5%
PURPOSE OF VISIT
Business trip Personal Vacation Historical trip
Pilgrimage Shopping Cultural heritage trip
Education and research Adventure Natural recreation
Interpretation: the main purpose of visit is mainly personal vacation, shopping and cultural trip.
Business trips are also important followed by education and research purposes. Singapore is the
best example of mix of traditional heritage with contemporary infrastructural skylines.
Major spots visited in Singapore
Marina bay sands
20%
Sentosa
20%
Garden by the bay
10%
Botanic Garden
15%
Universal studio
25%
Chinatown
10%
SPOTS VISITED
Marina bay sands Sentosa Garden by the bay
Botanic Garden Universal studio Chinatown

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Interpretation: the major travel destinations in Singapore are universal studio, Sentosa, marina
bay sands, botanic garden, garden by bay and Chinatown. Botanic garden being a UNESCO
heritage site is a favorite among visitors.
Source of information for visiting Botanic garden
Travel agencies
10%
Internet
32%
Friends
8%
Word of mouth
5%
Print media
10%
Tourist information
office
5%
Local guide
20%
Previous visit
10%
INFORMATION SOURCE
Travel agencies Internet Friends Word of mouth
Print media Tourist information office Local guide Previous visit
Interpretation: the pie chart shows the distribution of information collection sources about
botanic garden and it is found that maximum information is collected from internet sources and
official website of botanic garden. Local guide also urges travelers to visit this cultural heritage
site once and they highly recommend it for its cultural tourism. Many travelers come here for
second time to explore more about the plant species and bio-diversity.
Garden visit choice

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Botanic garden
35%
Orchid garden
35%
Ginger garden
30%
CHOICE OF GARDEN VISIT
Botanic garden Orchid garden Ginger garden
Interpretation: maximum visitors have rated each garden equally and all are included in their
visit list. Though botanic garden and orchid garden are more emphasized. The diversified plant
species and orchid collection are a treat to watch for the eyes.
Frequency of time spent
1 Hour
10%
2 hours
10%
4 hours
20%
Half day
25%
Full day
35%
FREQUENCY OF TIME SPENT
1 Hour 2 hours 4 hours Half day Full day

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Interpretation: visitors generally spend half a day or full day here exploring the various tropic
plants and orchids. The area covered by the garden is huge and so it is almost impossible to
cover all gardens within a short span of time and requires almost half a day to cover all areas
extensively.
Exploration of botanic garden
Visit every garden
with guide
55%
visit only one garden
35%
will only spend quality time in the
garden
10%
EXPLORATION OF BOTANIC GARDEN
Visit every garden with guide visit only one garden
will only spend quality time in the garden
Interpretation: the pie chart reveals that maximum visitors come to explore the garden and want
detailed knowledge of each plant species from the guide. Local Singaporeans prefer to visit one
garden and spend quality time with families and friends.
Response on Botanic garden as a UNESCO heritage site

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Stronly agree
55%
Agree
35%
No comment
5%
Disagree
3%
Strongly disagree
2%
RESPONSE ON HERITAGE TAG
Stronly agree Agree No comment Disagree Strongly disagree
Interpretation: in recent year 2014 botanic garden has achieved its heritage site tag by UNESCO
and thus its value has increased manifold among travelers. Maximum number of tourists strongly
agree to the fact that this heritage tag has increased their spree of visiting the garden once in their
lifetime and its value has increased among them.
Previous experience of heritage tourism

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Yes
68%
No
32%
PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE
Yes No
Interpretation: heritage tourism has increased its spread in recent times and travelers now opt for
more urban and heritage tourism rather than mere tourism. 68% tourist agree that they have
previous experience of heritage tourism and are aware of the characteristic features of it. But
32% have said that this type of tourism is new to them and they have never experienced heritage
tourism before.
Suggesting others to visit the heritage botanic garden

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Yes
80%
No
20%
SUGGESTIONS FOR OTHERS TO VISIT
Yes No
Interpretation: suggestions provided to others to visit botanic garden revel that modern day
tourists are more interested in cultural tourism and they will encourage others to visit such sites
in future. This show the developmental prospect of urban and cultural tourism in near future.
Most liked option in botanic garden
Diversified flora
70%
environment and
ambience
10%
garden and lakes
10%
restaurant and food
10%
MOST LIKED
Diversified flora environment and ambience
garden and lakes restaurant and food

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Interpretation: the chart provide evidence that tourist visit here mostly to experience the
diversified flora and plant species there. Some prefer the place for recreational activities and
children playing garden and some like the environmental ambience here.
TOURISM OFFICIALS FEEDBACK ANALYSIS
Change in visitor number before and after declaration of botanic garden as a UNESCO Heritage
site
Remarkably
75%
No change
10%
Less change
15%
CHANGE IN NUMBER OF VISITORS
Remarkably No change Less change
Interpretation: as per the feedback provided by the tourism officials, they have opined that the
heritage tag by UNESCO has remarkably changed the tourist footfall in botanic garden and
yearly tourist count has improved considerably.
Type of visitors

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Student and
researcher
15%
Foreigners
30%Families
45%
Individual persons
10%
TYPE OF VISITOR
Student and researcher Foreigners Families
Individual persons
Interpretation: officials claim that native family group visitors’ number is the maximum followed
by foreign tourists and student and research scholars. A number of celebrities do come here for
promotional purposes and there is also a VIP garden as well. But larger number comes in groups.
Peak hour of visit
Early morning
5%
Late morning
25%
Noon
10%
Afternoon
30%
Evening
20%
Late evening
10%
VISITING HOURS
Early morning Late morning Noon Afternoon Evening Late evening

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Interpretation: the rush is maximum in the afternoon and also start to gear up from late morning.
Evening tourists mainly are city dwellers and spend time till late evening here.
Botanic garden is capable of attracting more tourists after its heritage recognition
Strongly agree
70%
agree
20%
no comment
2%
disagree
6% strongly disagree
2%
BEFORE AND AFTER TOURIST COUNT INCREASE
Strongly agree agree no comment disagree strongly disagree
Interpretation: the officials strongly agree to the fact that botanic garden has increased
recognition in global tourism after its heritage status offering. The internal organizational
structure has become more systematic and have better management system in recent times.
Visiting this place will increase one’s knowledge on flora and fauna

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Strongly agree
68%
agree
22%
no comment
5%
disagree
3%
strongly disagree
2%
KNOWLEDGE INCREASE
Strongly agree agree no comment disagree strongly disagree
Interpretation: the officials strongly opined that visit to botanic garden will definitely increase
the knowledge of flora and fauna among tourists and various researchers spend large part of their
time in the research laboratory here performing their researches on various plant species.
Feel good of yourself and your profession being part of this cultural heritage
Yes
84%
No
16%
FEEL GOOD FACTOR
Yes No

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Interpretation: the officials are happy working here and being a part of such cultural heritage site
is a matter of pride and they love their profession and the work environment here. Some have
disagreed due to some unforeseen reasons but overall experience shows positive sign of
improvement and success.

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CHAPTER 6: CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
MAIN FINDINGS OF THE REPORT
The data analysis part clearly inferred the probable end results. Botanic garden is truly an
important heritage site promoting cultural tourism in Singapore at large which is in turn is adding
value to urban tourism in the country. Botanic garden has increased tourist footfall after its
heritage significance. This is a positive sign of urban tourism with focus on cultural heritage.
Development in Singapore has been striking in the last few years, it has managed to have some
of the world’s topmost infrastructures and skylines. It was quite obvious to neglect the traditional
heritages of the country and focus on new developments. But the country was able to balance
both and its cultural heritage has not decreased at all. Instead present tourism trend focusing on
urban tourism has helped the country keep its heritage richness intact.
Tourist behavior and perception has changed greatly in these years and they have
included heritage tourism in their travel diaries. Not only for historical knowledge but it is
important to have a knowledge of the various aspects of the cultural destination. Botanic garden
is high on educational value and it will surely increase own’s level of knowledge about plant
species and will provide the best opportunity to experience nature closely. Botanic garden will
fulfil all demands of a tourist in terms of motivational, behavioral, psychological and other factor
considerations.
ANSWER TO THE SET RESEARCH QUESTION
The end results of data analysis provide a true picture of tourist perception about heritage
tourism and urban tourism. How is tourists’ perception linked to heritage tourism and with
overall urban tourism? This question’s answer is well interpreted and discussed in detail.

45URBAN TOURISM
Concluding the paper will support the rejection of the null hypothesis and acceptance of the
alternative hypothesis. It is clearly understood that there is a direct and positive relation between
tourist’s perception and heritage tourism. Heritage tourism has been an integral part of urban
tourism and there is no doubt in it that tourists are opting for heritage tourism more frequently in
present times.

46URBAN TOURISM
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APPENDICES
QUESTIONNAIRE CUM TOURIST SURVEY SCHEDULE
Dear Sir/Madam,
Here is a humble request to you to help us in our research report on Urban tourism focusing
on cultural tourism in botanic garden Singapore, by filling the questions provided in the
questionnaire and write your opinion if you wish to. We assure you that is research survey is
carried out in pure academic interest and all responses will be kept confidential and will be
used only for research purposes.
Student name and university
……………………………………………………………………………………………………
Tourist survey (foreign tourist/domestic tourist/visitor)
Name
Gender
Age
Country
What is the purpose of visit to Singapore?
 Business trip
 Vacation and personal holidays
 Historical trip
 Pilgrimage
 Shopping and food
 Cultural heritage trip
 Education and research
 Adventure
 Natural recreation
What are the major spots visited/ love to visit in Singapore?
 Marina bay sands
 Sentosa
 Garden by the bay
 Botanic garden
 Universal studio
 Chinatown
What is the source of information about botanic garden heritage site?
 Travel agencies
 Internet
 Friends/relatives
 Word of mouth
 Print media
 Tourist information office
 Local guide
 Previous visit

50URBAN TOURISM
Which garden you would love/loved to visit the most?
 Botanic garden
 Orchid garden
 Ginger garden
What is the frequency of time likely to be spend here?
 1 hour
 2 hours
 4 hours
 Half day
 Whole day
How will you explore botanic garden?
 Will visit every garden with the guide
 Will visit one garden only
 Will spend quality time with family in the open garden area
How do you like botanic garden as a heritage site by UNESCO?
 Agree very much
 Agree only
 Neutral
 Do not agree much
 Disagree
Do you have previous experience of heritage tourism?
 Yes
 No
Will you suggest others to visit this cultural heritage garden?
 Yes
 No
What you like the most in botanic garden?
 Plant species of diversified flora
 Environment and ambience
 Garden and lakes
 Restaurant and food

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INTERVIEW QUESTIONS FOR TOURISM OFFICIALS
Dear Sir/Madam,
Here is a humble request to you to help us in our research report on Urban tourism focusing
on cultural tourism in botanic garden Singapore, by filling the questions provided in the
questionnaire and write your opinion if you wish to. We assure you that is research survey is
carried out in pure academic interest and all responses will be kept confidential and will be
used only for research purposes.
Student name and university
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Name:
Department:
How the visitor number has changed before and after declaration of botanic garden as a
UNESCO Heritage site?
 Remarkably
 No change
 Change of less magnitude
How the tourism sector has restructured the cultural tourism in botanic garden?
……………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………..
What is the average footfall during peak seasons and off seasons?
……………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………..
How much time do visitors spend here on an average?
 1 hour
 2 hours
 4 hours
 Half day
 Whole day
What is the type of visitors mostly seen here?
 Students and researchers
 Celebrities and VIPs
 Families
 Individual persons
 Foreigners
What is the peak hour of visit here?
 Early morning
 Late morning
 Noon
 Afternoon
 Evening
 Late evening
How botanic garden contribute to increased economy of Singapore?
……………………………………………………………………………………………………

52URBAN TOURISM
………
Do you think botanic garden is capable of attracting more tourists after its heritage
recognition?
 Strongly agree
 Agree
 No comment
 Disagree
 Strongly disagree
Do you think visiting this place will increase one’s knowledge on flora and fauna?
 Strongly agree
 Agree
 No comment
 Disagree
 Strongly disagree
Do you like yourself and your profession being part of this cultural heritage?
 Yes
 No
Research timeline
Date Activities undertaken
5th January 2019 First site visit to botanic garden
6th January Second day visit to study about the garden
7th January Take appointment and met with Tourism Official there
8th January Carried individual site visit to have increased knowledge about the
garden
9th January Meeting with the officer and collected his feedback on our set up
questions
10th January-10th
February
Field observation and tourist survey conducted on daily basis
11th February Collection of all data to one place and analysis is carried out there after
15th February First draft of research paper developed
20th March Final draft is prepared
25th March Final research paper submitted
PHOTOGRAPHS

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