Urban Tourism in Singapore: Exploring the Cultural Significance of the 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.
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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.