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Articles & Commentaries > ISEAS Perspective > 2021

2021/108 “COVID-19’s Economic Impact on Tourism in Singapore” by Joey Erh

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

• Prior to the pandemic, the tourism sector in Singapore had been steadily growing over the years. From 2007 to 2019, total international visitor arrivals and tourism receipts both grew annually at an average of 4.5% and 5.0% respectively.
• Amongst the five components of tourism receipts, the ‘Shopping’ component generates the highest total value added (VA), and so contributes the most to GDP. Individuals employed in the industries under the ‘Shopping’ component also enjoy the highest employee compensation coefficient.
• The GDP generated from all tourism receipts has remained relatively constant at around 4% over the years. However, since the pandemic, spending patterns have changed, resulting in a slight dip in the magnitude in VA captured per dollar of tourism receipt.
• Tourism from travel bubbles is not able to generate high VA such that it contributes significantly to GDP. They do however make a marked difference in industries that are highly tourist-oriented.
• To generate high VA from tourism, Singapore needs to implement travel bubbles with China, Indonesia, India, Australia, Malaysia and Japan. Unfortunately, such arrangements depend on the COVID-19 situation in both Singapore and these countries.

* Joey Erh is Research Officer with the Regional Economic Studies Programme at ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute. Her research interests include innovation of firms, labour and productivity and international economics.

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INTRODUCTION

Singapore’s tourism industry has grown over the years and has become relatively sizeable. From 2007 to 2019, total international visitor arrivals and total tourism receipts both grew annually at an average of 4.5% and 5.0%, respectively. Within Southeast Asia, Singapore has the third highest amount in international tourism receipts, behind Thailand and Malaysia, amounting to US$20.4 billion in 2019 (World Bank, 2019). Globally, Singapore was the 25 th most visited country in the world (by number of arrivals) and had the 22 nd highest amount in international tourism receipts in 2019 (UNWTO, 2020).

Overall, there has been a steady growth in international arrivals and tourism receipts (Figure 1). However, the tourism industry was adversely affected in 2008-2009 due to the Great Financial Crisis; this downturn pales in comparison to the devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic; over the last three quarters, Singapore suffered a 43.2 – 99.5% decrease in number of visitors and 39.0 – 96.6% decrease in tourism receipts. For the sake of comparison, the largest decrease experienced during in Great Financial Crisis was for 2009 Q1 when international arrivals and tourist receipts fell by 13.6% and 18.2% year-on-year respectively. This is minuscule when compared to the recent decline.  

Source: (DOS, 2021a; STB, 2021)

HOW TOURISM AFFECTS SINGAPORE’S ECONOMY

Tourism contributes to the Singapore economy by increasing the demand for goods and services through tourist receipts. It also contributes through the demand for inputs used to produce these goods and services. For example, when tourists stay at hotels, they use the amenities provided and also dine in hotel restaurants. Thus, tourists’ demand for accommodation in turn generates demand for electricity and housekeeping services (other industries not part of the accommodations industry) and hotel restaurant dining services (within the accommodations industry) (Figure 2).

The effect of economic activity generated by tourism shown here is a sum of two sources. The first source effect is directly generated by the final demand industry which it is from (Accommodations industry). The second is the total value indirectly generated by tourism; the sum of all the effects generated by all other industries outside of the final demand industry producing inputs for the final demand industry (all other industries excluding accommodations). A sum of both the direct and indirect effect expresses the total economic effect of tourism.

Singapore’s tourism receipts have been segregated into five categories: Accommodations; Food and Beverages; Shopping; Sightseeing, Entertainment and Gaming, and; Others. The first three categories correspond to the accommodations, Food and Beverages services and retail trade industries, respectively. The ‘Sightseeing, Entertainment and Gaming’[1] component includes “entrance fees to attractions and nightspots, expenditure on day-tours, leisure events as well as entertainment in the Integrated Resorts (IRs)” (STB, 2020). This leaves the ‘Others’[2] component, which comprises of “expenditure on airfares on Singapore-based carriers, port taxes, local transportation, business, medical, education-related items and expenditure by transit/transfer visitors” (STB, 2020).[3]

EFFECT OF TOURISM RECEIPTS BY COMPONENTS

(a)   Value-Added (VA) Coefficient

Simply put, the value added (VA) generated is equivalent to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) generated; a sum of the VA generated by all industries gives the GDP of Singapore. From a more technical perspective, value added is derived by subtracting the total cost of purchased inputs (e.g. intermediate and raw inputs from other industries) from the selling price. The VA coefficient captures the amount of VA generated for every $1000 of final goods purchased by tourists. A higher VA translates into a higher GDP.

Based on the data, tourists generate the greatest total VA by spending on the ‘Shopping’ component. The ‘shopping’ component also generates the greatest VA in indirect effects. On the other hand, spending on the ‘Others’ component generates the lowest total and indirect VA (Figure 3). In other words, it would be more beneficial for Singapore’s GDP if tourists were to spend more on the ‘Shopping’ component rather than on the ‘Others’ component.

Source: Author’s calculation based on (DOS, 2021b; STB, 2021)

This is a surprising find given that the industries under the ‘Shopping’ component are likely to have a high share of imports as inputs. Thus, a large share price paid for final goods by tourists is expected to be paid to imports instead of VA. One would expect the ‘SEG’ component to generate the highest total VA given that the primary inputs for this component are infrastructure and labour; infrastructure would likely have already been paid for from past investments.

(b)  Employee Compensation Coefficient

To better understand the impact tourism has on the salary of employees, we take a deeper look into the employee compensation coefficient of the primary input requirement coefficients of final demand. The employee compensation coefficient indicates the amount paid to employees for every $1000 of final output purchased by tourists.

Similar to the trends in VA, the impact on employee salaries is the greatest when tourists spend on ‘Shopping’ while the lowest impact is from spending on the ‘Others’ component. (Figure 4). About $427 of $1000 spent by tourists on ‘shopping’ are paid as employee salaries, while only about $328 is paid to workers employed in the ‘Others’ category.

Looking at the number of employed individuals in industries that are related to tourism spending categories,[4] there appears to be a slight increasing trend across all industries from 2010 to 2019. However, from 2019 to 2020, the number of employed residents in the wholesale & retail trade, public administration & education services and accomodation & food services sectors have fallen slightly. While not all changes observed can be attributed only to the lack of tourism in Singapore, overall, there seems to be a decrease in employment in these sectors related to tourism spending categories. Assuming that the total amount paid to employee salaries in these sectors remain the same, salary per capita would have increased. However, the total amount paid to employee salaries is likely to have decreased given the lack of demand for their services and the poorer economic outlook; employee salary per capita would have either remained the same or decreased.

O VERALL EFFECT OF TOURISM

To understand the overall impact tourism has on Singapore, a tourism coefficient is calculated based on the major components of tourism receipts and corresponding industries from the 2017 input-output tables (DOS, 2021b).[5]

(a)   Overall Value-added (VA) Coefficient

The overall VA coefficient provides an estimate of how much VA is generated for every $1000 spent by tourists, regardless of spending category. Over the last few years, the total VA generated has remained around $735 for every $1000 spent by tourists (Figure 6). However, it has dipped since the start of the pandemic in Q1 2020. The indirect and direct effects follow the same trend.

(b)  Overall Value-Added (VA) Coefficient

Similarly, the employee compensation coefficient has been kept at around $397 for every $1000 spent by tourists over the last few years (Figure 7). This has dipped quite a bit since the start of the pandemic in Q1 2020.

(c)   Reason for Change in Coefficient Magnitude

The change in coefficient magnitudes over the last few quarters for both VA and employee compensation can be explained by the change in tourists’ consumption pattern (Figure 8).  A greater share of tourism receipts was spent on the ‘Others’ component from Q2 2020 onwards (after the pandemic started), while the share of tourism receipts for ‘Shopping’ and ‘Accommodations’ fell and remained low. The ‘Others’ component has the lowest VA and employee compensation coefficient. On the other hand, both ‘Shopping’ and ‘Accommodations’ have the highest and second highest coefficients for both VA and employee compensation. With a larger share of spending on the ‘Others’ component and lower share of spending on ‘Shopping’ and ‘Accommodations’, the magnitude of the overall coefficient is pushed downwards.

Source: (DOS, 2021a)

There are a few possible explanations for the drastic change in the consumption pattern. For Q2 2020, the share of tourist expenditure on ‘Shopping’ and ‘SEG’ fell because all retail shops and tourist attractions were closed with the implementation of the ‘Circuit Breaker’ (CB). At the same time, the entry and transit ban implemented in late March was partially lifted in early June; foreigners were allowed to transit in Singapore and ‘Fast Lane arrangements were made for essential business and official travel between Singapore and six Chinese municipalities. Thus, since transit passengers’ expenditure fall under the ‘Others’ component, the relative share of expenditure spent under the ‘Others’ component rose. With only Chinese visitors, who seem to spend a relatively lower share on ‘Accomodations’ (STB,2021), on official business entering Singapore, the relative share of spending on ‘Accommodations’ fell.

From Q3 2020, ‘Reciprocal Green Lane’ and ‘Air Travel Pass’ arrangements were made with several countries.[6] These helped to increase the number of tourists, resulting in an increase in total amount of tourism receipts quarter-on-quarter (59%) and the ‘SEG’ and ‘Accommodations’ shares of expenditure. The ‘Others’ component was likely to have remained as a dominant expenditure component as transit passengers might have formed the bulk of Singapore’s visitors. In addition, with the increased inconvenience of travelling (e.g. multiple tests, stay-home notices), individuals are likely to only travel to Singapore for activities that cannot be delayed, such as medical treatment, education, and business-related matters; expenditure for all these also fall under the ‘Others’ component.

(d)  Tourism’s Contribution to GDP

By multiplying the tourism receipts with their respective VA multipliers, the total VA generated by tourism can be estimated. Prior to the pandemic, tourism’s contribution to GDP had been around 4% (Figure 9). To keep things simple, only direct and indirect effects were taken into consideration for the calculations. In reality, there are ‘induced’ effects on top of direct and indirect effects; induced effects capture the subsequent effects of purchases made by employees of the various industries increasing the impact magnitude of tourism spending. Thus, 4% is an underestimation of tourists’ contribution to the GDP. Based on past studies of the impact of tourism on Singapore’s GDP, incorporating the induced effects is likely to result in a significant jump in contribution (Khan et al., 1990). 

The pandemic has resulted in the implementation of tight travel restrictions and lockdowns, resulting in a severe drop in the number of tourists visiting our shores. Naturally, the amount of tourism receipts decreased drastically, resulting in a significant drop in contribution to GDP.

THE IMPACT OF TRAVEL BUBBLES

To help restart the tourism sector, the Singapore government has relaxed travel restrictions for tourists from certain countries and has also been in discussions to implement quarantine-free ‘travel bubbles’ with countries that have relatively low numbers of COVID-19 cases.

Considering travel bubbles with several countries[7] and foreigners allowed to travel to Singapore via the ‘Air Travel Pass’, the following would be the estimated value-added generated from tourism (Figure 10). The calculations assume that the tourists’ spending patterns and amounts remained the same as in 2019; and the number of arrivals is equivalent to 5% of the number tourists that visited in 2019.

As can be assumed from the sheer volume of Chinese tourists, the estimated value-added generated from Chinese tourists is the highest amongst the selected countries. While the numbers seem relatively high, the sum of VA generated from these countries’ tourists add up to only 0.06% of Singapore’s 2020 GDP figures.

To generate the highest VA, the Singapore government would ideally have extended the travel bubble arrangement to China, Indonesia, India, Australia, Malaysia and Japan. These countries have historically recorded the highest number of visitors and tourism expenditures per capita.[8] However, such arrangements are conditional on these countries’ number of COVID-19 cases.

Tourism has always contributed a relatively small share of Singapore’s GDP. Implementing travel bubbles with these countries is unlikely to rejuvenate the economy significantly. However, doing so will help correct the uneven demand for output from various industries i.e., generate demand for tourist-oriented industries that do not fit locals’ preferences. As shown previously, after the Singaporean government implemented the ‘Air Travel Pass’ and ‘Reciprocal Green Lane’ arrangements with several countries in Q3 2020, expenditure share of the ‘SEG’ component rose. Although the magnitude of impact might be low overall, the impact on individuals and businesses that rely greatly on tourism will still be significant.

There have been several assumptions made to derive the input-output tables,[9] one of which assumes that there is “no supply constraint” i.e. any required amount of input and labour can be provided to meet demand at the same fixed price. However, the pandemic has severely affected the availability of input and labour[10] for production;[11] supply chains have been disrupted while social distancing and travel restrictions have limited the movement and availability of labour for production. These changes are likely to have affected the price of inputs and labour, as demand and supply become imbalanced. In addition, consumption preferences and patterns were assumed to remain the same as before, an unlikely outcome after the pandemic.[12] Thus, the estimates made in this article are rough calculations, as the pandemic is likely to have changed the structure of the economy.

Amongst the five components of tourism receipts, ‘Shopping’ generates the highest VA (or GDP) per $1000 spent by tourists. The ‘Others’ component generates the lowest VA per $1000 spent.

For the overall tourism coefficients, the amount of VA generated per $1000 spent by tourists  have remained somewhat constant over the years. However, in the last three quarters, due to the pandemic, consumption patterns of tourists have changed significantly. The reduction and increase in the relative amount tourists spent on shopping and the ‘others’ component respectively resulted in a slight dip for both coefficients.

Individuals employed in the industries under the shopping component seem to enjoy a significantly higher employee compensation coefficient compared to the rest. Unfortunately, because of the change in tourist consumption habits, the overall tourism employee compensation coefficient has had a slight dip in magnitude over the last three quarters.

Accounting for all the industries involved, tourism has usually contributed about 4% of Singapore’s GDP annually, but its contribution share has dropped significantly due to the pandemic. While travel bubbles with selected countries appear to generate a notable amount of VA, relative to Singapore’s GDP figures, this is very minute. However, travel bubbles are still able to make a consequential positive impact on individuals and businesses belonging to industries that are tourist oriented.

R EFERENCES

DOS. (2019). Singapore Supply, Use and Input-Output Tables 2015 .

DOS. (2021a). Singapore Department of Statistics (DOS) | Singstat Website . https://www.singstat.gov.sg/

DOS. (2021b). Singapore Supply, Use and Input-Output Tables 2017 .

Khan, H., Seng, C. F., & Cheong, W. K. (1990). Tourism multiplier effects on Singapore.

Annals of Tourism Research , 17 (3), 408–418. https://doi.org/10.1016/0160-7383(90)90006-D

Sharma, A., Adhikary, A., & Borah, S. B. (2020). COVID-19’s Impact on Supply Chain Decisions: Strategic Insights from NASDAQ 100 firms using Twitter Data. Journal of Business Research , 117 , 443–449.

STB. (2020). Tourism Sector Performance Q3 2020 Report . https://www.stb.gov.sg/statistics-and-market-insights/Pages/statistics-Visitor-Arrivals.aspx

STB. (2021). Stan | Tourism Statistics . https://stan.stb.gov.sg/content/stan/en/tourism-statistics.html

Zwanka, R. J., & Buff, C. (2021). COVID-19 Generation: A Conceptual Framework of the Consumer Behavioral Shifts to be Caused by the COVID-19 Pandemic. Journal of International Consumer Marketing , 33 (1), 58–67.

Singapore’s Visitor Profiles

Based on data for 2016-2019, most of Singapore’s visitors arrived from Southeast Asia (35.2%), followed by Greater China (18.7%), then Europe (11.0%). The top five countries that visitors arrived from were China (18.7%), Indonesia (16.5%), India (7.5%), Malaysia (6.6%) and Australia (6.1%).

Given the high volume of visitors from these countries, one would expect the tourism receipts from these countries to share the same ranks. However, other than the top three countries remaining the same, the fourth was Australia, followed by Japan; tourism receipts from Malaysia were ranked sixth. This is due to the varied expenditure amounts, consumption patterns and purposes of visit of tourists from different countries. Amongst the top six contributors of tourism receipts, Japanese tourists had the highest tourism receipts per capita, followed by India, China, Australia, Indonesia and Malaysia (Figure A). The low tourism receipt per capital of Malaysian tourists explains the relatively lower amount of total tourism receipts from Malaysia despite the high number of tourists visiting.

Source: Author’s calculation based on (STB, 2021)

Output Coefficient

The output coefficient reflects the amount of output that is generated for an industry to produce $1000 of final output purchased by tourists.

Shopping has the highest total output coefficient and highest indirect coefficient; the final demand generated by tourism receipts from shopping requires the highest amount of output from all other industries. It also requires the highest amount of output from all industries, inclusive of its own (total effect) (Figure B)

This is contrary to the ‘Others’ components which has the highest direct output coefficient, but lowest indirect effect. Industries involved in the ‘Others’ component of tourism receipts require the most amount of inputs from their own industries, and least amount of inputs from other industries.

However, unlike the output coefficient, the ‘shopping’ component is closely followed behind by the SEG and Accommodations components. Moreover, the Food and Beverages component, the second highest for the total output coefficient, fell to fourth for the total VA coefficient and is the last for direct VA coefficient (Figure C). It implies that despite the high total output generated, the Food and Beverages component supports upstream industries that have relatively lower value add compared to industries of the other components.

ISEAS Perspective 2021/108, 13 August 2021

[1] For the ‘sightseeing, entertainment and gaming’ component a weighted average of the related industries is taken. The industries are (1) travel agency, tour operator and reservation services, (2) Arts and entertainment (3) Recreation and sports. The weights are determined by the relative value of exports of goods and services of each industry to better reflect the consumption patterns of a foreigner. 

[2] For the ‘others’ component a weighted average of the related industries is taken. The industries are (1) land transport (2) air transport (3) exhibitions, conventions, and other events (4) education and (5) health services. The weights are determined by the relative value of exports of goods and services of each industry to better reflect the consumption patterns of a foreigner. 

[3] The correspondence table for the expenditure components and input-output industries can be found in Annex 1.

[4] The ‘Accommodation’ and ‘Food and Beverages’ components correspond to ‘Accommodation & Food services. The ‘SEG’ component corresponds to ‘Arts, Entertainment & Recreation’. The ‘Shopping’ component corresponds to ‘Wholesale & Retail Trade’. The ‘Others’ component corresponds to ‘Health & Social Services’, ‘Transportation & Storage’ and ‘Public Administration & Education Services’.

[5] The overall coefficients were calculated by summing up the total VA/employee compensation generated for each component, then dividing it by the total tourism receipts.

[6] Reciprocal green lane arrangements were made with Malaysia, South Korea and Japan. Air Travel Pass arrangements were made with Brunei and New Zealand.

[7] Brunei has been excluded as no data on tourism receipts per capita was available.

[8] View Annex 3 for Singapore’s visitors’ profile based on 2016 – 2019 data.

[9] Other assumptions include: “(1) All establishments classified in the same industry have the same production process and input requirements, (2) All industries have fixed input requirement proportion relative to output (3) allocation of demand to users depends on the product and not the industry selling the product (4) users always demand the same mix of products from an industry.” (DOS, 2019)

[10] See “Developers to share soaring labour costs as COVID restrictions bite, Singapore rules” at https://www.globalconstructionreview.com/news/developers-share-soaring-labour-costs-covid-restri/

[11] See (Sharma et al., 2020)

[12] See (Zwanka & Buff, 2021)

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What industry does your organization fall within, what best describes the key intent of the project that your organisation is seeking funding for, is your organisation a singapore-registered legal entity, is your organisation an association, is the project able to achieve one or more of the following outcome.

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In the business of fun: meet the people who help shape singapore’s tourism infrastructure, with strong organisational support and job rotation opportunities, these singapore tourism board employees develop critical skill sets on the job as they transform the country into an even more attractive destination.

Behind the ultra-stylish integrated resorts that are firm favourites among tourists, the sprawling Singapore Expo that plays host to some of the largest events in the region, and the Marina Bay Cruise Centre Singapore (MBCCS), one of the largest and most uniquely designed cruise terminals in South-east Asia, is a team that ensures these are not only operating at peak condition at all times, but also plans years into the future to shape Singapore’s physical tourism landscape. 

Meet the Infrastructure Planning and Management (IPM) division of the Singapore Tourism Board (STB), which oversees the operations and development of Cruise and meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE) infrastructure, as well as the two integrated resorts. 

Stepping out of her comfort zone to broaden her expertise in cruise infrastructure 

In her decade-long career with STB, Ms Poline Lim, 33, has undertaken different facets of the statutory board’s work, from enhancing visitor experience through technology to attracting best-in-class association conventions and a secondment to the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI). These opportunities enabled her to develop a broad spectrum of skill sets and insights to both leisure and business tourism.  

She took on her current Cruise infrastructure portfolio at the IPM division in 2022. As the Assistant Director of the IPM (Cruise) team, she delved into engineering and construction related work for the first time, which pushed her out of her comfort zone. 

In her role overseeing the MBCCS, Ms Lim leads a five-member team that deals with a wide range of responsibilities. From maintaining the physical infrastructure of the facility to working with the appointed cruise terminal operator to ensure smooth daily cruise operations, her team’s work is crucial to the success of the terminal. 

With Singapore's cruise sector posting a record 2 million passengers with more than 340 ship calls in 2023, the team’s primary focus is to maintain the MBCCS as a world-class terminal that can adapt to the ever-evolving needs of cruise lines while also planning ahead for the growth of the cruise industry.

“I’m not an engineer so it was challenging at the start but also very fulfilling,” she says, referring to the technical conversations about terminal structures, ship specifications, and marine navigation that have now become a part of her daily work. 

She credits her ability to navigate these uncharted waters to two factors: A strong team of specialists who are trained in engineering and construction-related fields, and close collaboration with other government agencies including JTC Corporation, Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore and Urban Redevelopment Authority.

“It may sound like a cliche but every day is a learning experience with this team. Leveraging the expertise of my team and other agencies, I am able to learn and appreciate the technicalities involved in my work to make informed recommendations on the planning of our cruise infrastructure,” says Ms Lim, who has also attended courses in facility management and land use planning with her team to strengthen her capabilities. 

Ms Lim’s team is already looking ahead to 2050, having started preliminary discussions on supporting infrastructure required to help the cruise industry reach its net-zero emissions goal. 

Gaining experience and confidence to elevate Singapore’s MICE scene 

Like Ms Lim, Mr Bryan Law has benefited greatly from on-the-job learning. Combined with various job rotation opportunities, the 34-year-old has been fully exposed to different behind-the-scenes functions of the tourism industry.

Before joining STB as a full-time staff within the Integrated Resorts team in 2017, Mr Law gained valuable experience through internships with the Visitor Experience Centre, Formula 1 (F1) and Sports Business and Partnership divisions. These provided him with insights into both visitor-facing and industry-related aspects of STB’s work. 

While he has always been passionate about tourism, having pursued his tertiary education in Leisure and Resort Management, Mr Law initially felt a bit uncertain in navigating policy matters related to the industry, such as manpower and land issues. However, he credits STB’s strong mentorship culture, where experienced colleagues readily share their knowledge and guide newer team members. This supportive environment, coupled with ample opportunities for cross-functional collaboration, has been instrumental in his professional growth. 

“Once I had built up the confidence, I was able to keep up with the pace of work and contribute in a bigger way towards my team and the organisation,” he says. 

During his earlier stint as a Senior Manager with the IPM (Integrated Resorts) team, Mr Law took up career development opportunities within the board, which included a short stint with the Exhibitions & Conferences team which oversees the growth of large-scale business events in Singapore. This was instrumental when he was later promoted to Assistant Director of IPM (MICE). 

As portfolio lead, he oversees the ongoing management and maintenance of Singapore Expo, the country’s largest MICE venue, while also working with privately-owned MICE facilities such as the Suntec Exhibition & Convention Centre, in an effort to maintain Singapore’s position as a top MICE destination of choice within the region.

He has also led the team to work with Singapore Expo to introduce leisure offerings, such as new food and beverage options, a sports hall as well as an entertainment facility, to enhance its attractiveness as a MICE venue. 

Looking ahead, Mr Law’s team is focused on ensuring all six purpose-built MICE venues in Singapore, including Raffles City Convention Centre, Resorts World Convention Centre and Sands Expo & Convention Centre, obtain internationally or nationally recognised sustainability certifications (or both) by 2025. An example of this is working with Singapore Expo to install Singapore’s largest single-site solar rooftop that generates renewable energy to power the venue’s operations. 

This initiative is a part of the MICE Sustainability Roadmap, an initiative by STB and the Singapore Association of Convention & Exhibition Organisers & Suppliers which aims to raise sustainability standards across Singapore’s MICE industry over the next few years. 

Finding fulfilment through diverse roles and job rotations 

Another key member of STB’s IPM team developing the country’s tourism offerings is Mr Darren Leow, 36, an Assistant Director with the IPM (Integrated Resorts) team.

His journey at STB has been marked by exposure to diverse roles and opportunities, which has contributed to his professional growth and given him a comprehensive understanding of the organisation’s multifaceted work. This includes an overseas posting to the STB regional office in Mumbai, India, and a secondment to MTI, and roles in international relations, business development and data analytics.

These rotations, he says, have given him a “sense of fulfilment”, enabling him to develop different skill sets and providing him with an in-depth knowledge of STB’s broad scope of work. 

“Because our work encompasses regulator, developer, policymaker, marketer and other roles, there’s always something new to try and learn from,” he explains.

Drawing from his wealth of experience, Mr Leow brings valuable insights to his role in the IPM (Integrated Resorts) team. He has a hand in a range of matters related to food and beverage, hotels, attractions, retail and entertainment within Singapore’s two integrated resorts, Marina Bay Sands (MBS) and Resorts World Sentosa (RWS). 

His role also involves government policy and stakeholder management, allowing him to leverage his diverse experience at STB. This is further enhanced by STB’s leadership culture, which fosters an environment where individuals are encouraged to take ownership, collaborate effectively, make sound decisions autonomously when needed and inspire others through their actions. 

Currently, his team is working closely with MBS and RWS on their respective expansions that will enrich Singapore’s tourism offerings and enhance the integrated resorts’ vibrancy and tourism appeal. 

The new world-class tourism facilities and attractions will include a 15,000-seater state-of-the-art entertainment arena and an iconic, luxury all-suite hotel at MBS with a rooftop public attraction, as well as a new waterfront lifestyle complex, Illumination’s Minion Land and Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios Singapore in RWS. 

To gain inspiration for enhancing Singapore’s integrated resort offerings and to ensure that they stay ahead of the competition, he has undertaken study trips with his team to other world-class tourism destinations, such as Las Vegas, where he had the opportunity to experience the newly opened Sphere entertainment arena. 

For Mr Leow, working at STB offers not only the immense satisfaction of shaping Singapore’s physical landscape to make it a more attractive destination but also an unexpected perk: Witnessing the behind-the-scenes planning of new lifestyle offerings and events at the two integrated resorts. 

Besides these tangible benefits, he values the strong sense of unity and shared mission at STB. This dedication to promoting Singapore as a world-class destination has fostered a strong sense of camaraderie among colleagues and an “all hands on deck” attitude towards supporting STB initiatives and events. 

This commitment is evident in the way STB staff are always ready to contribute, from volunteering to run marquee events like the Formula 1 Singapore Airlines Singapore Grand Prix to taking part in company-wide team bonding initiatives.

As Mr Leow puts it, “STB is a place where staff bring their whole selves to work – with all of our interests and energy. After all, we are in the business of fun, and passion is our brand.” 

Find out more about careers with STB here.

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