Singapore will open officially this coming Friday one of the three gardens which make the new Botanical Park “Gardens By the Bays”. However, foreign visitors will have to pay more. Is the current nationalism wave in Singapore intruding into tourism as well?
SINGAPORE- On Friday June 29th, Singapore will get a new attraction as it will inaugurate its brand new Gardens by the Bay. Under the supervision of Singapore’s National Parks Board, Gardens by the Bay is a massive project costing US$ 775 million (S$ 1 billion). Friday opening will only be for Bay South, the largest of the three gardens which form Singapore’s second botanical park. The park will feature more than 300 plant species and 500 animal species.
Bay South plays host to two conservatories, six dining areas as well as 18 Supertrees. The Gardens will be open at 5 am this Friday and is expected to attract over 30,000 viewers. Visitors to the garden will be treated over the next two weeks with free performances and free movie shows as well as a light and sound at the Supertree Grove. The latest will probably become a hit among visitors. These uniquely designed vertical gardens –emulating tree shapes of 25 to 50-metres tall- have large canopies that provide shade in the day and come alive with a light and sound at night. One of the trees will have a restaurant located on the top of the tree with sweeping views over the gardens.
They are some good and bad news about the new park. First, the good news: Gardens by the Bay will be free of charge for all visitors while the OCBC skyway, a 128 m-long aerial walkway will cost a moderate fee of S$ 5 (US$ 3.90). However, access to both conservatories will cost for an adult S$ 20. Bad news: Foreigners will have to fetch a 40% premium for the entrance ticket to the conservatories, set for them at S$ 28.
Singapore is of course not the only country to use double-standard pricing for locals and foreigners. This practice – the debate remains open on the fairness of such a procedure- is often observed in developing nations where locals generally can’t afford to pay the ‘real’ price of a service due to limited resources…
But it will be harder to justify in Singapore, one of the world’s most affluent nation. GDP per capita in the City State is indeed higher than any other country located in Southeast Asia, higher than China, India, South Korea or even Italy or New Zealand. Difficult also to understand that a country which can spend US$ 700 million just for a park is desperately looking to recoup its investment by asking foreigners to pay more…
What could be then the explanation? In recent years, Singapore has been submerged by a wave of nationalism with locals asking to benefit from a “national preference” status as they feel increasingly discriminated compared to the rise of foreigners in the city. Prices at “Gardens by the Bay” might be the populist answer to some citizens’ fear of being neglected…
Luc Citrinot a French national is a freelance journalist and consultant in tourism and air transport with over 20 years experience. Based in Paris and Bangkok, he works for various travel and air transport trade publications in Europe and Asia.
