On behalf of Dr Kwee Liong Keng and Prof Tommy Koh, we would like to invite you to the Pontiac Land-IPS Food for Thought One-table Lunch with Mr Keith Tan (Chief Executive, Singapore Tourism Board).
Singapore fully reopened its borders to vaccinated travellers in April 2022, bringing an end to two years of restrictions which saw international visitor arrivals fall by as much as 85.7% and tourism-related businesses pushed to adopt alternative operating models to stay afloat. The government has announced its target to restore air travel to at least 50% of pre-COVID levels this year, and almost $500 million has been set aside to support the recovery of the tourism sector. This is in addition to the aid which the government has provided since the start of the pandemic, such as $320 million to encourage domestic tourism through SingapoRediscovers vouchers, and $1 billion to alleviate costs and support jobs and skills development.
The travel and hospitality industries have emerged from a near-death experience. How much damage did COVID-19 inflict on the two industries? How long will it take for them to recover to the pre-pandemic levels? What is the future of these two industries?
Join us at our first in-person lunch since the COVID-19 pandemic began, as we hear from Mr Tan about the road ahead for tourism.