Impact of Singapore river’s development on Singapore’s heritage tourism.

Abstract

This report aims to examine the effects of Singapore River’s development on Singapore’s heritage tourism. The development of Boat Quay and Clarke Quay will be the focus of this study.

The factors that attract visitors to Singapore River and their experiences of satisfaction levels with heritage along Singapore River were explored through a survey. In-depth interviews with relevant organizations were also carried out to gain insight on the impact of development along the Singapore River on Singapore’s heritage tourism. The findings indicated that heritage is an appealing factor in drawing tourists to Singapore, and that most of the respondents have experienced the heritage element along the Singapore River through buildings and statues. However, more can be done to raise awareness of heritage along the Singapore River.

Overall, the findings provided certain implications for heritage conservation. Developments are important to ensure the sustainability of the Singapore River precinct in order to cater to the changing demands of society, but there is still a need to step up efforts to conserve and showcase the heritage of Singapore River. This can be done through increasing the number of information boards and sculptures along Singapore River. Tour guides can do more to story-tell the past and additional information about the shophouses’ heritage can be incorporated into guidebooks.