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Invention is key to Orchard Road’s tourism appeal

It was interesting to read the proposals for bringing life back to Orchard Road (“Pedestrianising Orchard Rd won’t save it”; May 5, “Orchard Road no longer unique”; May 3, “Bring overhead garden concept to Orchard Road”; May 1).

It was interesting to read the proposals for bringing life back to Orchard Road (“Pedestrianising Orchard Rd won’t save it”; May 5, “Orchard Road no longer unique”; May 3, “Bring overhead garden concept to Orchard Road”; May 1).

As with everything else, unless we keep looking for ways to improve it, the time will come when it becomes passe.

For example, South Korea has reinvented itself. Its K-pop culture captures a mass audience. Its four seasons help to market fashion for different times of the year. There are ample reasons to return.

I am impressed by the way it has remained attractive to tourists despite its location between tourist spots such as Hong Kong and Tokyo. What makes Seoul attractive is that it has differentiated itself from its neighbours.

It has three shopping belts — Myeongdong, Dongdaemun and Namdaemun — catering to different crowds, with different experiences. They coexist despite being near one another. They differ in the “how” — the way one likes to shop — and not so much the “what”.

Since the Orchard shopping district stretches from Tanglin to Dhoby Ghaut, we could segment it into themes, each with different offerings targeting a different crowd, or else, with our year-round tropical weather, tourists may not explore it in one go.

Alternatively, we could make Orchard upmarket, like Gangnam, to reduce the duplication between heartland malls and those in Orchard Road.

Seoul’s Incheon airport is far from the city but connected by an express train service, while buses ferry tourists from the airport to various locations. That saves them the anxiety and time, on arrival and departure.

What is ingenious is that there are accommodations catering to various budgets in various shopping districts. If one chooses to explore Myeongdong, for example, one can stay amid the buzz by booking a hotel there. It saves on transport.

Hotels’ front desks help tourists to book day tours. Vans would pick them up and put them on coaches for sightseeing in the city.

Food and beverage are another draw. From traditional dumplings and stone pot rice to blended drinks, one can see inventive ways of making them. Fried chicken with different seasonings and beer are a combination that stretches one’s palate.

Perhaps we could bring the Cuppage Road hawkers back to Orchard Road as before.

And we should ask what tourists want. Are the airfare and accommodation costs commensurate with their satisfaction levels? How do we compare with our neighbours and destinations eyeing the same tourist dollars?

Orchard Road and, perhaps, Singapore cannot be everything to everybody. That would be too fuzzy to have any appeal. Tourism is often about making something out of nothing, out of nowhere. Its value is perceptual.

Managing tourists’ expectations is difficult but not insurmountable. It requires ingenuity, being proactive and co-ordination between various parties. Most of all, our hospitality is what would make tourists come back for more.

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