‘It would be nice if
they offered something even more authentic like visiting a local school,
hospital or even walk into one of the high-rise units.’ – British tourist
Victor Gillat
By Gregory
Leow
HERE is yet another idea from the
Singapore Tourism Board (STB) on making this island attractive to foreign
visitors: Take them to the heartlands. The Heartlands Trail gives tourist a
peek into yet another facet of life here. Tourists will be taken to Toa Payoh,
Singapore’s oldest HDB estate. There, they will shop and eat at Toa Payoh
Central. They will also go to Holland Village, drop by Lim’s Arts and Crafts
and sample Katong laksa. This is one of two new trails offered by the STB with
shopping and eating as its central themes.
Previously, the STB only offered trips to
traditional tourist attractions such the Bird Park and the Night Safari, or
tours which focus on heritage and culture. The other tour, called the Ethnic
Trail, takes tourists to shops and eateries in Chinatown, Little India and
Kampong Glam. The Heartland and Ethnic Trails have been in operation since the
last week of June and are priced at $39 and $45 respectively. Each tour
attracts an average of 12 to 15 tourists. In comparison, the Night Safari
attracts about 70 people a day.
Said Mr Richard Leen, STB’s assistant
director for tourism shopping: “It is an encouraging figure for a newly
introduced tour. Like most tours, it will take some time for the momentum to
build up. There is a limit to the group size anyway.” He explained that the
group cannot be too large as most of the outlets can only accommodate so many
people.
Ms Judy Lum, marketing and communications
manager for Tour East, said that Toa Payoh is not something that tourists read
in the tour brochures, so it piques their interest.
British tourist Victor Gillat, 73, who
went on the Ethnic Trail with his wife, said that he would be keen to go on the
Heartland Trail to see “the real Singapore” as he terms it. “It would be nice if they offered something
even more authentic like visiting a local school, hospital or even walk into
one of the high-rise units. There are many people who would love to do that.”