A ROADMAP for growth in Singapore’s hotel industry has been launched by government ministers to upgrade skills, encourage innovation, raise sustainability standards and offer the Lion City’s workforce viable career choices as an increase in tourism is targeted.
The Hotel Industry Transformation Map (ITM) 2025 was launched this week by ministers of state for trade and industry and culture, community and youth to help “future-proof” the industry.
The roadmap offers strategies to achieve value-added growth of 5.9 per cent from 2020 to 2025 with jobs created in fields such as wellness, sustainability and technology which are increasingly visible trends across hotels and business events.
Despite the pandemic’s impact on the tourism sector, our hotels have demonstrated remarkable resilience and creativity
– Kwee Wei-Lin, president, Singapore Hotel Association president
“Taking full advantage of the downtime, they have successfully piloted innovative experiences, pivoted to new business models, enhanced capabilities, and refurbished their infrastructure. We will continue to work with the government to catalyse new ideas and solutions to achieve the goals of the refreshed ITM,” Kwee added
ITM 2025 was developed by Singapore Tourism Board in partnership with the Food Drinks and Allied Workers Union, Singapore Hotel Association, industry stakeholders and other government agencies. ITM was also endorsed by Singapore’s Future Economy Council.
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The latest roadmap is a refreshed version of a scheme launched in 2016. According to Singapore Tourism Board, the city state’s hotel industry posted strong growth with record-high average occupancy of 87 per cent and a total workforce of close to 35,000 in 2019. More than 1,400 workers across about 60 hotels benefited from Workforce Singapore’s Career Conversion Programme for Hotel Professionals from March 2020 to August 2022.
“While the hotel industry continues to navigate post-pandemic challenges, it is well positioned to recover strongly, tapping on new consumer preferences for sustainable hospitality, digital-enabled experiences, and wellness travel,” STB announced.
Hotel ITM 2025 spurs hotels towards more value creation through cross-sector collaborations and new business models. This is to capture growing demand in areas such as wellness offerings and experiences that go beyond traditional stay-and-dine. Examples include an all-inclusive wellness retreat by Sofitel Singapore City Centre and Virgin Active, and Fairmont Singapore’s Razer Gamecation, where guests can stay and play in one of the world’s first luxury e-gaming suites
– Singapore Tourism Board
Hotels are also being encouraged to “redesign jobs” so that mature workers in the job market can be employed and to continue the practise of “inclusive hiring”.
Keith Tan, Singapore Tourism Board chief executive, said: “A strong and growing tourism sector needs a vibrant hotel industry. Singapore’s hotels are amongst the best in the world but they can continue to transform and grow so that Singapore’s tourism sector can capture the next phase of growth. The Hotel ITM 2025 charts a clear vision, and we look forward to working closely with our industry partners on this journey.”
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Low Yen Ling, Minister of State for Trade and Industry and Culture, Community and Youth said: Hotel ITM 2025 will speed up business and workforce transformation as well as strengthen the sector’s resilience.
“The new roadmap aims to future-proof the industry with deeper digital and up-to-date capabilities and well-skilled talents. This will better position our businesses to seize the emerging opportunities from global tourism trends and sustainability.
“We will encourage greater collaboration within and beyond the sector to create fresh, synergistic and innovative concepts across our hotel, food and retail offerings. This holistic approach will help enhance Singapore’s attraction as a compelling destination for travel, business and leisure.”
