The Impact of Sustainability on the Tourism Industry in Singapore

This essay provides a comprehensive analysis of the sustainability of the tourism industry in Singapore. It begins by defining sustainability and then offers an overview of the Singaporean tourism sector, highlighting its significant economic contributions, including its substantial GDP contribution and e...Read More

Running head: SUSTAINABILITY AND TOURISM
Sustainability and Tourism
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author’s Note:

1SUSTAINABILITY AND TOURISM
According to Lee et al. (2016), tourism industry is one of the most important
emerging industries of the world and various other industries like hospitality, airlines and
others are directly dependent on this industry for the process of their business operations. As
per a report of the Unwto.org (2016), the net annual revenue generated by the tourism
industry in 2016 was more than 7.6 trillion U.S. dollars besides the 2.3 trillion U.S. dollars
that the industry helped its associated industries to earn. However, in the recent times it is
seen that the industry is facing various kind issues like the risks on the score of terrorism,
climate change and others besides the damage to nature that this industry and also the tourists
cause to the environment and also the tourist destinations (Henderson, 2016).
The three pillars of sustainability, namely, the social, economic and the environment
pillars can be used by the tourism industry not only to enhance its profitability but also to
attain sustainability as well. The essay will analyze the tourism industry of Singapore through
the three pillars of sustainability. The essay will begin by providing an overview of the
concept of sustainability and also the Singaporean tourism industry. The essay will then
analyze it on the basis of the economic, social and environment pillars of sustainability. The
essay will also show the major concerns that the tourism industry of Singapore is facing
currently related to these factors and will also propose measures for their mitigation.
Qureshi et al. (2017) are the viewpoint that sustainability is the process of attaining a
harmonious balance among the various resources and the means which an organization has at
its disposal and also utilize it in an effective manner. This not only ensures the long-term
growth of the concerned organization but also helps it to earn a higher amount of profitability
as well (Henderson, 2016). In addition to this, Cohen and Cohen (2015) hold the viewpoint
that the organizations need to make a valuable proportion of contribution towards the planet
and also the environment so as to ensure the continued growth of the planet. More
importantly, the various organizations also need to take into effective consideration the pillars

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of sustainability like social, economic and environmental factors. The concept of
sustainability becomes even more important from the perspective of the tourism industry
because of its close association with the environment and the society of the nations in which
the industry is operational (Henderson, 2016). Sustainable is the catch phrase of the modern
times since the organizations related to this industry are not only required to help in the
economic growth of the nation in which it is operational but also towards the social as well as
the environmental growth of the nation as well (Qureshi et al., 2017). This concept becomes
especially important from the perspective of the Singaporean tourism industry.
As opined Lee et al. (2016), the Singaporean tourism industry is one of the largest
ones of the world and has attained unprecedented growth in the recent times. As per a report
of the Unwto.org (2018), the Singaporean tourism industry for the year 2014 generated
“S$23.6 billion”. More importantly, the tourism industry of the concerned is the 5th largest in
the world in terms of the number of visitors (17.4 million in 2017) and the 2nd largest one in
the continent of Asia (Visitsingapore.com, 2018). The low crime rate of the concerned
nation and the effective management of the different tourist destinations of the nation have
contributed in a substantial manner towards this success. Some of the most famous tourist
destinations of the nation under discussion here are “Singapore Zoo, River Safari, Night
Safari, Jurong Bird Park” and others (Lee et al., 2016).
According to Bhati and Pearce (2017), the tourism industry of Singapore not only
forms the backbone of the economy of the nation but also contributes in a substantial manner
towards the growth of other industries of the concerned nation as well. In this regard, it can
be said that as per the economic pillar of sustainability, the organizations have an ethical as
well as moral responsibility to contribute towards the economic growth of the nation (Cohen
& Cohen, 2015). The Singaporean tourism industry when viewed through this lens would
reveal insight details. As already mentioned the concerned industry in Singapore for the 2014

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generated more than “S$23.6 billion”, which is equivalent to 8.9% of the entire GDP of the
nation itself (Visitsingapore.com, 2018). In addition to this, the industry also generated
62.922 million jobs in the nation which is equivalent to more than 8% of the jobs of the
nation and boosts of an impressive growth rate of 7.7% which is higher than the growth rate
of the other industries of the nation (Visitsingapore.com, 2018). Moreover, the total number
of international tourists that the nation received for the year 2017 was more than 17.4
million and this number is expected to increase by 15.6% for the coming years
(Visitsingapore.com, 2018).
The organizations related to the tourism industry of the nations no doubt have
contributed in a substantial manner however there are many organizations which do not
report their actual revenues in an honest manner and thereby evade the taxes. More
importantly, these organizations are using the resources of the nation but are not contributing
towards the economic growth of the nation. The tax money which is being paid by these
organizations is utilized for the development of the nation. This is a major cause of concern
for the nation since it is slowing down the pace of their economic development. This concern
or problem can be mitigated in an effective manner through the centralization of the
tourism industry of the nation. This will offer the opportunity to the national government to
directly regulate the business activities of this industry and have an effective idea about the
financial transactions of the organizations related to the concerned industry.
As per the social pillar of sustainability, the organizations related to the tourism
industry are required to contribute the society growth of Singapore. For example, it is seen
that the nation of Singapore even in the 21st century is follows the culture of the Asian people
who form the major part of the population of the nation (Pulido-Fernández, Andrades-Caldito
& Sánchez-Rivero, 2015). Although the culture of Singapore is called the culture where
“East meets West” yet the major influence is that of Asia (Lee et al., 2016). However, the

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growth of the tourism industry in the nation and the arrival of the tourists from the various
quarters of the world like USA, Australia, Germany, Canada, France and others had helped
the people of the nation to come out of the framework of the Asian culture. Cohen & Cohen
(2015) are of the viewpoint that the major recipients of these societal benefits are the
members of the local communities near the various tourist destinations of the nation. In
addition to the financial benefits that are being provided by the growth of the tourism
industry to the members of these local communities, they are also being able to reap the
societal benefits as well through their close association with the various tourists. This has not
only enriched the culture of these local communities but at the same time improved the
societal norms and also the beliefs that these people hold. Furthermore, through their
association with the various tourists, the people are not only able to overcome their
inhibitions but at the same time the misconceptions that they had earlier regarding the
Western culture as well (Sharma, 2015).
It is seen that because of the differences in cultural background between the
tourists and the native Singaporean people a lot of unnecessary problems get created. This not
only affects the travel experience of the tourists but at the same time affects the Singaporean
society as well. More importantly, Qureshi et al. (2017) have stated that because of the influx
of the western culture, the original Singaporean culture is losing its uniqueness and the
people are just trying to emulate the westerners. This is a serious concern to the society and
also the people of Singapore. In order to mitigate it, the tourism board of the nation can
encourage the tourists to follow the Singaporean culture while in Singapore as far as possible.
In addition to this, educating the people regarding the essence and value of the Singaporean
culture and also taking the help of sustainable tourism is also likely to help in a substantial
manner.

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The environmental factors have emerged as one of the most important ones recently
because of the various environment issues like climate change, global warming and others
that the world is facing currently (Pulido-Fernández, Andrades-Caldito & Sánchez-Rivero,
2015). The various organizations are thus required to take initiatives which will not only help
them to reduce the amount of damage that they cause to the environment but at the same time
try to help in the conservation of it as well (Picard, 2015). This holds true for the tourism
industry as well. However, it is often seen that some of the tourists in Singapore indulge in
activities like wildlife sport and others which adversely affect the wildlife of the nation. In
addition to this, the amount of pollution caused by these tourists in some of the protected
wildlife sanctuaries is also adversely affecting the environment. Furthermore, the damage
done by these tourists to the forests is also substantial. This is a major cause of concern for
the nation since it directly affects the flora and the fona of the nation. More importantly, the
airplanes used by these tourists for travelling from one destination to another also cause a lot
of air pollution.
The Singaporean government can take various initiatives for the mitigation of this
problem. For example, the nation can promote the usage of various historical buildings and
similar kind of architectures to shift the focus of the tourists from the natural tourist
attractions. In addition to this, the nation can offer various kinds of alternative transportation
facilities to the tourists so as to deter the usage of airplanes and similar vehicles which cause
a high level of air pollution. More importantly, the nation can take initiatives for the
promotion of eco-tourism to contribute in a meaningful manner towards the environment.
To conclude, sustainability has become the current focus of the business world and
for the effective utilization of this process the organizations are required to make
contributions towards the environment, society and also the economy of a nation. The
Singaporean tourism industry is an important one in this regard since it is seen that it follows

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the model of sustainable tourism which was proposed by the United Nations for the
promotion of this industry. In this regard, it needs to be said that the concerned industry has
made meaningful contributions not only towards the economic growth of Singapore but also
towards the social growth of the nation. In addition to these, the concerned industry has also
made substantial amount of contribution towards the improvement of the condition of the
environment in the Singapore.

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