The tourism industry in Singapore has become accustomed to adverse conditions in their operations due to haze emanating from Indonesian forest fires that worsened the quality of the air in the region.
The National Environment Agency (NEA) of Singapore announced that haze has traveled from fires raging in Sumatra and Kalimantan to the country. This resulted in air pollution and aggravated the problems of the tourism sector.
Reduction in Outdoor Tourism Booking Is Recorded
According to Yeo as the founder of On a Roll Tour, certain outdoor tourism companies in Singapore have faced reductions in tourism booking reaching 30%. Some people have postponed or canceled their bookings due to overwhelming air pollution in the region.
The bookings related to kick scooter rides or walking tours decreased by between 10 and 20% compared with the previous period. According to Yeo, the increase in travel prices also played a part in reducing the flow of clients.
Likewise, operators have integrated air-conditioned stopping points in their tours. Spots like museums, including the National Gallery Singapore and Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall, allow tourists to be indoors while enjoying their time in Singapore.
Challenging times for yacht charter industry due to haze
Yacht charter companies have fewer options to deal with bad air quality as their guests are mostly spending time outdoors on the water.
According to Quek, general manager of Wanderlust Adventures, yacht bookings have dropped by 30% from September onwards. This is due to the company’s offering of minimum four-hour yacht charters, making it difficult to move activities indoors.
Tourists are more than 50% of all the visitors using the company’s services and come from countries such as China, India, Europe, Australia, and the USA.
This year’s haze dampens the tourist spirit in this year’s National Day festivities of China starting from October 1, according to Quek. The company is usually receiving a lot of visitors from China during this holiday period, but yacht booking has been almost non-existing this year. Some tourism operators have not been affected by the situation.
Air Quality in Singapore Gets Worse
On September 4, Singapore reported its first unhealthy air quality level this year due to haze, with the 24-hour Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) exceeding 101 in the central region, according to NEA. This was the first unhealthy reading since October last year.
The situation has continued to worsen since then. As of Tuesday morning, Singapore was among the two most polluted major cities in the world, with an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 193.
Travel Operators in Malaysia Change Their Plans
Like their counterparts in Singapore, the tourism industry in Malaysia has been preparing its operations for the haze. Malaysia’s Inbound Tourism Association president said that operators have decreased the amount of time spent on outdoor activities and have substituted some of them with trips to malls and museums.
More broadly, this illustrates how forest fires can lead to economic consequences that extend far beyond the immediate areas that suffer from the flames, by changing travel plans.
