Impacts of culture on the Tourism Industry of Singapore

Abstract

Singapore has emerged to be among the top thriving countries in cultural tourism, with an annual increased rate of new visitors.  Although it has not achieved much significance, cultural tourism has been lagging especially on how it impacts the society at large. Arguably, the impacts and relationship between culture and tourism have been understudied, and thus formed the basis of this research paper, focusing on the context of Singapore. During the study, the study deployed both qualitative and quantitative designs in describing the cultural practices of Singaporeans and how it affects tourism. There were 445 respondents from the survey. A questionnaire with open-ended and closed questions was used in the data collection. Besides, data was also collected from the Singapore government’s website to help understand the trends within the tourism industry. In the data process, information was obtained for a specific year and measured through a 5- point Likert scale, which then was analyzed using multiple regressions. According to the study findings, some of the factors that increase cultural tourism were hospitality, art and cultural heritage, affordable cost of staying in Singapore, and environmental quality such as water and air quality. Besides, its geographical location and its accommodating weather were also some of the factors that attracted visitors. A further comparison also justified that the cost was relatively cheap compared to other destinations, which led to attracting more tourists. It is recommended that there should be more policies to protect tourist attraction resources towards attraction. It was also suggested that the government can increase more cultural events, and maintain the cost of accommodation on affordable rates to attract more tourists.

Table of Contents

Abstract. 1

1.0 CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION.. 3

1.1 Background information. 3

1.2 Historical aspect of the problem and problem statement. 4

1.3 Overview of the report. 6

1.4 Legislation changes leading to the problem.. 6

2.0 CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW… 7

2.1 Introduction. 7

2.2 The relationship between culture and tourism.. 8

2.3 Overview of cruise tourism in Singapore. 9

2.4 Theories that relate to cultural tourism.. 10

2.4.1 The social exchange theory. 10

2.5 Details and implications of the new legislations. 13

2.5.1 The Consumer Protection (Faire Trading) Act. 13

3.0 CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY. 15

3.1 Research Design. 15

3.2 Approach Technique and Data Collection. 16

3.2.1 Materials. 17

3.2.2 Procedure. 17

3.3 Population and Sample. 17

4.0 CHAPTER 4: DATA ANALYSIS and Findings. 18

4.1 Descriptive Statistics. 18

4.2 Factor Analysis and Multiple Regression. 18

5.0 CHAPTER FIVE:  DISCUSSION.. 23

7.0 EVALUATION.. 28

8.0 Reference List. 29

9.0 Appendix: SAMPLE QUESTIONNAIRE. 32

1.0 CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background information

Culture and tourism are considered to have a mutually benefiting association which adds strength to the competitiveness and attractiveness of the regions or countries within which the tourism activity takes place. For decades, culture is taken to be a significant element of tourism that adds to its distinctive taste in this crowed global industry (Richards, 2012). Consequently, tourism significantly impacts culture enhancement which possibly leads to increased income, boosted cultural heritage, creativity, and production at large (Timothy, 2003; Logan, 2002; Liu, 2014). Hence, the establishment of a strong association of culture and tourism leads to positive impacts in regards to making a region more competitive and attractive to improve its productivity and income.

Culture refers to the way of living of a people in a common geographical circumference, and with a common language for their effective communication. As Richards (2018) connotes, culture includes the beliefs, attitudes, and values that frame their relationships at distinct societal levels, such as in political systems and socio-economic aspects. Concordantly, culture impacts a society’s operational manner. However, the global business activities that include tourism and education, among others, are influenced by the cultural practices of people in a specific locality. While culture impacts almost all interactive sessions and activities in a region, Vargas-Hernabdez (2012) states that there are limited data of the same in Singapore context, thus, there is a need to establish more explanation on how the cultural impacts on the people of Singapore influence the tourism sector in the nation.

Researchers imply that the tourism Industry in Singapore relies more on cruise and culture tourism to wheel its development in the global market (Chang, 2015). In the perspective of Chaney & Ryan (2012), Singapore boasts of some of the most flamboyant and attractive beaches, which undoubtedly, is appealing to tourists, especially those preferring basking in warm weather or cruise activities. Consequently, their culture tourism relies on art exhibitions and preservation of their traditional artifacts like the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple or Museum. Other heritage sites are the Asian civilization museum, the Botanic garden, Little India, and more (Chang, 2015).

Regarding the culture tourism and cruise tourism  , it’s arguable that there is an impact created from local environment, which directly leads to their success or failure. For instance, researchers considered the case of Asian Museum Employees, who are believed to possess excellent knowledge of every piece of civilization. It means that they (employees) had to grow and assimilate into the culture of Singapore so that they understood such matters of civilization (Chaney & Ryan, 2012). Alternatively, others acquired their knowledge from education works of literature, meaning that their conceptualization of the ancient culture is just an interpretation of the literature publications rather than the actual natural phenomena (Salazar, 2012). In such regards, the knowledge of the cultural practices of the players in the tourism industry will significantly impact the quality of information relayed to the tourists about Singapore. Therefore, a study on how the cultural practices affect tourism industry would be very centric in establishing how their culture and behaviors spur the growth of their tourism sector.

To bring more insight, for ages now, the expert proponents agree with historical connotations that there have been recognizable shifts in their tourism trends, especially on destinations of attraction.  Before then, tourism was regarded as a social venture since the goals relied on exhibiting cultural traditions and geographical topography, which were valued (Som, Marzuki, Yousefi, & AbuKhalifeh, 2012). The above claim was vivid in ancient societies, where the visitors would enjoy seeing the locals through their daily living activities, as well as their artistic impressions on their tools, instruments, and weapons. All the same, the current literature posits that the tourist destinations today have been restructured to reflect on their economic significance through improving their value wealth to the visitors at the expense of natural factors (Som et al., 2012). From a centric view, the government has channeled the tourist destinations as resources for revenue generation, and this calls for those who are involved or participate in the industry to take up some training to shape their skills to suffice service delivery to the visitors. The skill enhancement is strategic on relevant culture entities that are prerequisite for those engaging with the tourists at various destinations, and more concentration is on behavior changes, which has been majorly impacted by traditional cultural interactions (Zaitseva, Goncharova, & Androsenko, 2016). However, Singapore’s situation appears not to be apparent as it lacks the clarity to the efficacy of changes in the culture experienced by those who handle tourists in various destinations.

1.3 Overview of the report

The main aim of this research is to achieve the following:

1. To determine how cultural set up of Singapore boost tourism
2. To investigate the cultural aspects that hinder the tourism industry in Singapore.

The study adopted a quantitative research design since it involved a survey of the participants through structured questionnaire questions to evaluate how culture impacted the tourism industry. The data obtained from the study was used to propose a general output of Singaporean culture on their tourism sector and recommendations for changes that may lead to its improvement in service delivery and avoid negative cultural impacts.

1.4 Legislation changes leading to the problem

As there were growing shifts on the significance of cultural tourism in the global market, Singapore had to put policy initiatives that could enable its growth. The main channel of promoting cultural tourism was by communicating their unique and impeccable cultural heritage to enhance tourism development. They had to focus on the policies that could be sustainable to their local practice, being that the industry depended on various multi-sectoral players. The Singaporean government hence had to collaborate with its tourism board to implement effective legislation or enactments that would comprehensively protect the sector at both local and global spectrum, bearing in mind that the economic activity would attract all members of market niche at national and international levels.

The government thus had to protect the future of the industry by enacting the consumer protection act or the fair trading act (Howells & Weatherill, 2017). Since cultural tourism involved their heritages and any other resources which had value to a tourist like a cruise and beautiful destinations including hotels, protecting the right of the consumer was very paramount towards managing the competition from other regions like Hong Kong and Mexico. The original enactment of the policy regulation was in 2003, but it was later revised in 2009. Specifically, the act was established to offer protection to the consumers against any odds of unfair business deals or practices as it will paint the industry on negative perception, and it would succumb. Besides, the act gave the consumers more rights in regards to the goods that did not conform to the contract, or that are not in any way connected to the agreement. As per the provisions of the act, unfair practice in business amounted to misleading or deceiving a consumer or omitting part of the contract deal (Howells & Weatherill, 2017). The legislation also extended to consider any false claim in regards to the contract or an attempt to take advantage of the consumer at the knowledge of the supplier. The establishment of the fair trading act was a precursor towards the establishment of a good business relationship within the tourism industry. This is so because the interests of the tourists were served accordingly, and that was reflected in their growing numbers of visitors in Singapore tourist destinations each year. The initiative grounded by the government and tourist board protected the interest of both parties so that value could be increased, and at the same time upscaling innovation of new ideas and cultural heritages that attracted the visitors. The policy initiative largely impacted on the consistent growth of cultural tourism in Singapore.

Chapter one of the study covers the background of the study. In this chapter, the research tried to give an overview of the Singapore tourism industry as some of the factors that affect the tourism business in Singapore. Chapter two of the study covers both empirical and theoretical review of the subject matter. It gives recent literature that explains the culture and its effect on the tourism industry as well as other factors that influence the tourist industry. Chapter three cover the research methods used to collect, present, and analyzed the data of the study. In chapter four the researcher present and analyzed the research finding. Finally chapter five the researcher gives the conclusion, recommendation, and suggestion of further studies.

2.0 CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 Introduction

In this chapter, the research acknowledges various factors that are linked to how culture impacts the tourism industry in Singapore. In this regard, there is a wide exploration of the cultural set up of Singapore societies, how culture relates to tourism activities and the development of cruise and cultural tourism. Additionally, it establishes the relevant theory that underpins the knowledge of culture and tourism in Singapore. Implications of any relevant tourism legislation will also be considered.

2.2 The relationship between culture and tourism

Until the 20^th century, culture and tourism were perceived as separate entities of destinations. The cultural resources were viewed as part of a society’s cultural heritage entities that were related to knowledge of the local population and their local underpinning aspects of identities (Su et al., 2018; Beel et al., 2017). It has then gradually evolved as the role of cultural assets changes to become part of significant assets for tourist attractions and destinations. Timothy (2018) argues that today, cultural assets largely play important roles in tourism attraction and are widely used to distinguish tourist destinations in various parts. It has since grown to become “cultural tourism” which has been an important pillar of economic development in many societies, as in the case of Singapore. As Su & Wall (2015) implied, some of the factors that fueled the development of cultural tourism areas discussed. The first was the demand factor; for instance, an increasing interest in cultural aspects like a source of identity and differentiation was a demand for cultural tourism. Besides, (Richards, 2018; Vasilyev et al., 2017) supports that the growing levels of educational attainment that increased cultural capital, postmodern styles of consumptions, more desire for different experiences, the growing significance of intangible culture and increased forms of mobility were all other factors that facilitated the demand for cultural tourism. For the supply factors, Richards (2016) argues that cultural tourism was viewed as a potential source of income and jobs for the locals. Besides, it was seen to have an expansive market and a more quality form of tourism. The supply was also tied to boosted regional development and technological advancements which made the destinations more accessible (Coccossis, 2016).

As a result, Schriver (2017) agrees that culture has been widely deployed as an entity of tourism product and destination, and at the same time tourism has also been integrated into the cultural development aspects as a way of boosting cultural production and cultural heritage. The synergy between these two phenomena has thus created a stable relationship between these two elements directly (Richards 2016), as the tourism trend takes charge as one of the most profitable and preferred trends in tourism industry in Singapore. Similarly, creativity, which proponents believe to be a product of the synergy between culture and tourism, is recognized as one of the most important drivers for economic development in Singapore (Yasuda, 2017; Appiah-Adu, 2015). A report by the OECD on the economic significance of culture indicated that in most of the major economic scales, the worth of cultural industries stands at about 3 and 6% of the total economy’s income. Therefore, according to (Lee, 2016) tourism and culture put together adds a potential engine for economic development. For example, in Europe, more than 50% of tourist activities rely on cultural heritage. Besides, the UN World Tourism Organization shows that cultural tourism attributes 40% of the total international tourism income (Ramires et al., 2018).  Additionally, based on the U.S data on cultural travelers, the data shows that 30% of the tourists are influenced on their destination choice by an art, cultural event or heritage activity (Romao et al., 2018), and the volume grew by 13% from 192.4 million to 216.8 million individuals per trip in the period between 1996 and 2002 (Ronga, 2016). Besides, data from the Canadian market research indicates that close to 50% of the trips by U.S residents were associated with cultural tourism in 2003. Finally, the ATLAS research also affirms that cultural visitors with preference to cultural tourism have increased in the recent past.

Generally, the figures indicate the attributes and influence of cultural entities on flow of tourism. Besides, culture acts as a large market that attracts high spending tourists, hence, cultural tourism is given the potency for rapid development in Singapore. Some of the benefits that emanate from cultural tourism include diversification of the local economy, increased tax revenue, more job, and business opportunities, established community pride and heritage, cultural preservations, historic significance of an area, among other benefits.

2.3 Overview of cruise tourism in Singapore

In the global perspective, Hall (2017) argues that the cruise industry is considered very resilient considering the manner in which tourists give preference to it. It has recorded a growth of close to 7.5 % over the past ten years. Yagci & Akdag (2016) observe that in Asia particularly the southern parts, Cruise Industry has experienced a double growth rate. It is characterized by a tropical climate of calm waters which is very ideal for year-round cruising. Besides, the regions including Singapore has a rich culture with immense various destinations offerings of old and new contrasts and additional heritage sites. Asia is composed of a bigger population of middle class who provide potential market for cruise tourism. Singapore falls in the South East Asian region connecting to one of the world-class ports, thus making it an ideal hub for cruise destinations (Yagci & Akdag, 2016. As data indicates, in recent years, Singapore managed to attract close to 1.87 million visitors for cruise tourism and the number has been growing gradually. In 2018, it recorded close to 18.5 million visitors which reflected a 6.2% increase according to the Singapore Tourism Board. Apart from international cruise passengers from Malaysia, China, and other states, India is leading in supplying them with visitors with a 26% increase in 2018 (Hall & Page, 2016).

2.4 Theories that relate to cultural tourism

2.4.1 The social exchange theory

2.4.1.1 Theory elements

Rewards and value of reward; in this regard, “value of reward” is attributed to the notion that any incentive or reward has different value to different persons. The definition of value within the social exchange context is perceived differently from other ways. As written by Homans “a man emits unit of activity, however that unit is defined, and this unit is either punished or reinforced by one or more units of activity he receives from another man or by something he receives from the non-human environment”  (Redmond, 2015). In this assertion, things that are perceived as reward attributes to the things individuals put value on. The implication here is that what is perceived valuable by one person may not be of value to the other, and they also fluctuate over time. Social reward is another element of social theory. It’s arguable that rewards can also be achieved through interaction with other people, thus regarded as social rewards. As Bae (2018) elucidates, the rewards in social interaction may include gratification, pleasure, needs fulfillment, and satisfaction. One significant feature of social reward is that it can’t barter over others (Redmond, 2015), however, Harvey (2018) implores that there is valuation of the weight of the values of social reward received over the costs of associated relationship. The social rewards can both be intrinsic and extrinsic. The last element of social theory is the cost, and according to Tyler (2015) cost is defined as something of value that is given up in the course of social exchange, including withdrawal of reward or forms of punishment. Money is usually the most obvious form of in regards to cost in exchange for services or products, but others may include time, skills or even energy. Just like rewards, the costs also vary in their values, for instance the value of time varies according to its demands at that particular place or time. In relation to (Larsson, 2019), he posited that in selecting to spend time in a particular interaction or relationship we forfeit the equal chance to spend time in another interaction with potentially higher rewards. Therefore, according to the social exchange theory, the cost an individual is willing to extend into the relationship or interaction relates to the rewards, and thus considered as the profit.

Profits make another element, which is the benefits of rewards less the cost incurred in the relationship. Based on the theory, the greater the rewards and lesser costs, the higher the profits a person gains. Equity and distributive justice is the last element, which depends on the practice of fair trade or equitable trade. In simpler terms, equity and distributive justice is achieved when the rewards gained are proportionate with the degree of the cost of interaction, and the more the cost incurred, the higher expected rewards.

In an effort to explain the impact and significance of cultural exchanges as a result of cultural tourism, most studies express difficulties in evaluating the socio-economic implications of such social interactions. However, researchers believe that the social exchange theory is the most relevant and applicable in the explanation of relationships in social exchange or transactions. Emerson developed the theory, and it indicates that the operations in cultures can occur so long as the benefits and values rewarded are higher than the costs involved in the exchange process (Blau, 2017). In the tourism context, social exchange theory is applied in understanding how the interaction between the two groups is impacted. For this case, the host and the visitors (Paraskevaidis & Andriotis, 2017), and the benefits and cost of exchange between the two parties must be satisfactory. In other words, the host must be satisfied with the benefits, and the guest must also be comfortable with the cost of the interaction for the exchange to be effective. Besides, the social exchange concept elucidates on the reaction of the host at specific interaction levels towards the tourists, and the resulting outcome relies on their engagement levels, which may be at the individual, group, or communal levels (Woosnam et al., 2018). In a generalized context, the social exchange concept defines the understanding of how the impacts of culture associated with tourism activities in a region (Redmond, 2015) that is very significant for this study. Essentially, the focus of this study is on cultural factors that impact tourism in the Singapore context.

Nonetheless, the theory describes changes in tourism by examining the challenges exposed to the tourism industry, with a sharp focus on the socio-economic influence. As posited by Sthapit (2007), tourism a  as a social activity where the visitors sourced pleasure and fulfillment by exploring attractive places, and they could stay around the sites for quite a while. However, as illustrated by the social exchange concept, it has evolved from a social activity to an economic aspect where the destinations now focus on what they offer to their visiting tourists to gain benefits. Additionally, the destinations concentrate on providing information that is convincing to the tourists about their sites through historical reviews rather than just natural entities (Nunkoo & Ramkissoon, 2012). Besides, (Nunkoo & Ramkissoon) also observed that the need to gain more profits for various tourist destinations matters that the quality of the attractive feature, and in such attribute, the environmental factors like socio-cultural, political, and economic factors are pivotal for the success of tourism industry, affirming the significance and authenticity of the theory in the study.

2.5 Factors affecting Singapore Tourism Industry

There have been policy regulations and legislative statutes that are enacted by the Singapore Tourism Board to guide and direct the Tourism Industry activities. The legislations covered all the activities including tax compliance, licensing for hotels, travel agent regulations, composition of offenses and more legislative provisions. The policies have been revised to include some of the latest legislatives, among which others are amendments of the earlier established policies.

The act provides protection to consumers against unfair trading practices and confer the consumer an additional legal rights against the goods that do not conform to their contract or any matters connecting to their trade agreements. A consumer is perceived as any entity in the course of business that receives or is entitled to the rights of receiving goods and services from the supplier or provider, or a legal obligation to compensate the supplier for goods and services that have been supplied or are to be supplied to another individual. Consumer transaction is interpreted as the supply of the services or goods to the consumer by the supplier due to purchase, or an agreement between supplier and consumer as a result of the purchase, gift, and lease consent by both parties. According to the legislation, unfair practice means doing or say anything or omit to do anything that results in consumer deception or misleads. On other perspectives, it can be taken to mean making a false claim or taking advantage of the consumer if the supplier is aware that the consumer is incapable of protecting their own interests or are unable to understand the charter, language, and nature of the effect of the transaction or any issue relating to the transaction (Howells & Weatherill, 2017).

The unfair practice may happen before, during, or after the transaction between the consumer and the supplier. The act of unfair trading may include a single or both acts mentioned above or an omission to act as per the consumer agreement. When determining whether or not a person has engaged in an unfair practice, the reasonableness of their actions in that circumstance must be established. Besides, the act or omission by the employee or agent is also regarded as an unfair act or omission if the individual performed in the course of employment duty or the agent performing the duties on behalf of the person represented by the agent or the actual authority.

The tribunals have the jurisdiction to hear and determine any action within section 6(1) if it relates to unfair practice on a relevant contract or any actions that related to unfair practice provided in section 8(6), (7), or (8). Besides, the jurisdiction also has powers to determine if the actions under the provisions enacted under section 11 relate to the contract including the timing of the contract. It is also applicable if the actions are violating the provisions under section 20(2) (j) relevant to the contract. In the legal provisions under subsection(1), the term “ relevant contract” refers to the contract mentioned in paragraphs 1(a) or (c) of the small claims tribunal act (cap 308) schedule but does not include the contract of sale of any immovable property.

In the cases where there are justifiable grounds for believing that the supplier has or is likely to engage in an unfair practice, a special committee or body may invite the supplier to enter into a voluntary compliance agreement. The voluntary compliance agreement must be in writing and include an assertion that the supplier will not commit unfair practice. The special body may also include the following in the voluntary compliance agreement; the agreement to compensate consumers who suffered losses or damages due to unfair practice, reimbursement for the cost incurred to any bodies or organizations, and publicizing of the voluntary compliance agreement.

3.0 CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY

3.1 Research Design

The research was conducted using quantitative and qualitative approaches aimed at describing the cultural practices in Singapore tourism Industry. A quantitative approach was very essential in establishing the association between culture and tourism, and it was ideal for this study because it needed a relatively shorter time to perform and its most effective where the data collected is quantifiable (Bourke, 2014). Moreover, the research aims at describing how the cultural aspects of the people of Singapore influence the growth or decline of the tourism industry. Social exchange theory is applied in this design because it suits the economic side of tourism that focuses on benefits of the trade to the people. Furthermore, the theory is applicable in the design because it highlights the factors that hinder the locals from engaging in tourism business hence preventing growth.

The quantitative methods deployed in this study paper is surveys (questionnaire) and website interceptors to monitor the trend and statistics of visitors for various tourist sites in Singapore. In the questionnaires, the research questions were designed to include close-ended questions to enable the respondents give opinions on the matter of interest only. The closed-ended questions were very helpful in establishing a descriptive statistical data during the study.

3.2 Approach Technique and Data Collection

There were two research methods employed in this research. The first qualitative method involved collection of data from documents such as journals, literature surveys, previous research works, and articles. The quantitative data were collected from Singaporean Government site which has published research in credible journals databases internationally. The other quantitative data were collected through the use of survey questions in form of close-ended questionnaire.

The qualitative research method involved the use of surveys that was conducted in form of questionnaires among the foreign tourists who visited Singapore during the research period. The survey was performed by handing the tourist the questionnaires for them to fill, the process occurred in different tourist attraction sites like cultural heritage sites and events, natural attractions, and temples. The questionnaires were also distributed to the business owners in the tourism industry as well as travel agencies. The questions covered the impact of cultural issues on the tourist and tourism industry in Singapore.

3.3. Structure of Questionnaire.

The data collection and recording instruments in this study were the survey questions which were close-ended questionnaires, and the 5-point Likert scale ranging from 1) strongly agree, to 5) strongly disagree. For this study ther researcher distributed 754 questionnares.The questionnaires attempted to address the general tourism satisfaction in Singapore, for instance, Cultural attraction sites such as natural and national parks, trekking, Hospitality, like various food and beverages in Singapore, the cost of staying in Singapore and infrastructure like local transportation services, environment cleanliness among others.

3.4 Population and Sample

The population of the study was the foreign tourists visiting Singapore. They were randomly selected. Specific sample group was selected from the larger tourist group. The sampling technique utilized is called the Yamane sampling method. Taro Yamane sampling method helps in determining the size of a particular population, the mathematical illustration is shown as n=N/ (1+N (e) 2). Whereby n is signifying the sample, N is signifying the population under the study, e is illustrating the margin era which can be 0.10, 0.05, or even 0.01.   The sample size for this study is 18.5 million tourists who visit Singapore tourist destinations annually. .

3.5 Methods of Analysis

The data collected was analyzed through the statistical package for social science (SPSS) version 6.0. The factor analysis was used to determine the underlying structure for the 26 original determinants towards boosting tourism through tourist satisfaction. Finally, multiple regression analysis was used to investigate determinants that affect the satisfaction level for tourists in Singapore. Multiple regression is a tool that helps in understanding how multiple dependent variables relate to independent variables. In this study, 26 determinants were generated to identify the tourist satisfaction level of every determinant, while the general satisfaction is called the dependent variables. The factor analysis was used to reduce the dimension of the independent variable, while significant factors impacting the satisfaction of tourists in Singapore were recognized through regression analysis.

4.0 CHAPTER 4: Findings and Analysis

This chapter provides empirical evidence and findings based on the research objectives. The research proposition has been tested, and the findings are tested and interpreted precisely. In common thoughts, data analysis is regarded as how the researchers bring insight and significance into a mass of data collected during a study. For this study, the researchers used descriptive statistics and multiple regressions to analyze the data.

4.1 Descriptive Statistics

There were a total of 375 respondents, with only 400 usable respondents translating to 69.44 percent. There were 263 male respondents out of 445, as compared to 156 females. 25% of the male respondents had visited Singapore initially which is equivalent to 39, while 75% equivalent to 117 males were visiting Singapore for their first time. On the other hand, 20.9%, equivalent to 32 females had visited Singapore before, while 121 females were visiting Singapore for the first time. Hence, 71 tourists were visiting Singapore for the second time. From the study population, most of the tourists were from Europe.

The objective of this research paper was to access the impacts of culture on the tourism Industry of Singapore. During the research, we determined the effect of cultural setup on Singapore tourism. The researcher also investigated the cultural aspects that hinder the tourism industry in Singapore. 4.2 Cultural Dimensions

This part presents the findings regarding cultural dimensions and how they affect the tourism industry in Singapore. The findings of the study were [resented using descriptive statistics.

4.3.1 Collectivism

The respondent we ask to state who they were accompanied with in the last trip in Singapore.

The company during the trips by gender

The findings of the study indicate 13.03% visited alone, 28.99% were accompanied by their spouses, 31.91% went with their entire family, and 22.02% went with their friends. It is also observed that females constituted the largest percentage of people who visit recreation centers.  Thus most of the respondents are collectivist as only 13% of the respondent went to tourist destinations alone. Further, most of the respondents are family-oriented and hence increase the number of tourists.

Further the researcher sort to know who facilitate travel to tourist destinations.

Financial Facilitator of Tourism Destination

The findings of the study that 38% of the visitors facilitated themselves while 28% of the visitors were facilitated by their spouses and co-workers and club membership facilitated 15.5% of the visitors. Hence the research findings reveal that most of the respondents or visitors are economically independent. The bigger majorities are interdependent and people make purchasing decisions as a community.

The researcher also asked the respondent the extent to which their purchasing behavior is influenced by cultural practices.

4.5  The Influence of Cultural Set-Up in Boosting Tourism

The first objective of this research was to investigate how cultural set-up in influence tourism in Singapore. This means how the cultural set up affects the tourism industry in Singapore. To established the influence of cultural set-up on tourism we focused on cultural festivals, Custom and Artifact, and Traditional Rituals.  The tourist was asked to indicate their response in relation to cultural practices and the results were presented in the table below.

Cultural practices affect tourism

The finding indicates that the majority of the respondent agreed with the statement that cultural practice influences the development and growth of the tourism industry. 67% of the respondents indicated that cultural practices were the major drivers of them visiting the Singapore tourist destinations. Similarly, 457% agreed that traditional dances attracted them to the heritage sites and tourist destination in Singapore.  Cultural festivals are entertaining, adventurous, and interactive hence attract tourists from different countries as most people have the desire of learning other people’s cultural practices. The average means for cultural practice was four indicating that majority of the respondent agreed that cultural practices influence tourism. The standard deviation of 0.90 of the study was reasonable. This implies that the information collected was not biased and could, therefore, be applied to make a conclusion for the study.

The research findings also reveal those tourists are attracted to tourism destinations in Singapore because of the customs and artifacts. 63.6% of the study respondents indicated that custom and artifacts were the main reason as to why they visited the majority of tourist destination in Singapore. Similarly, it was observed that 59.2 percent of the respondents agreed that the unique nature of tourist sites in Singapore motivated them to make a visit to the tourist destinations in the country. 57.7% of the respondents who filled our questionnaires acknowledged that traditional practice and events motivated the tourist to visit Singapore tourist destinations.

Most of the tourists acknowledged music instruments to be the favorite custom tourists preferred.  Archeological sites, traditional homestay, and traditional adornment attract most of the tourists to tourist and heritage sites. The custom and artifacts play an important role in making Singapore a unique destination for tourists.

Correlation between Cultural Festivals and Tourism Development

*Correlation is significant at the 0.05 level (2-tailed)

The research findings indicate that a positive and significant relationship existed between the cultural practices and the growth of the tourist industry (r=0.122, p=0.021).  According to Shaw and Williams (2004), the global conception of culture has resulted in the designation of World Heritage locales which attract a large number of tourists annually. However, at local and national level culture is viewed to assume as imperative in creating and strengthening personal uniqueness (Sindiga, 2009). Culture promotes the feeling of belonging or having a place in a specified cultural setting. This promotes tourist growth and development in the country or region.

Relationship between Cultural festivals  and Tourism

The researcher investigated how cultural festivals relate to the development of tourists in Singapore.  To study this relationship the researcher used regression analysis. The findings of the study are presented below.

The findings of the study indicate that cultural practice plays a critical role in explaining tourism growth in Singapore. This was confirmed by the coefficient of determination as explained by R square of 70.1%. this indicates cultural festivals cause a 70.1% variation in the growth of tourists. The research finding approved the findings of Ondimu‟s (1994) who argued the culture play a significant role in promoting both international and domestic tourist.

Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) of Cultural Practice and Tourism Development

The findings of the study demonstrate that cultural practices were good indicators or predictors of tourism in Singapore tourist destinations. This statement was confirmed by the F statistic of 3278.380and a P-value of 0.004 four 44 visitors. All these are less than the significant level of 0.05

Regression of Coefficients for Cultural Practices and Tourism

The findings of the study reveal that cultural practices and tourist growth were significant and positively related (r=0.487, p=0.004). These findings agree with the view of Mckercher et al. (2004) who explained the elements of identifying with tourist experience, products, and tourism promotion as important to the prevalence of cultural attraction sites in Hong Kong. Sofia (2017) argued that cultural practices played a critical role in spurring the domestic economy as tourist sites generate income for the country and also create employment opportunities for the people in the communities surrounding the tourist destinations.

4.5 Cultural aspects that hinder the tourism industry in Singapore

The second objective of this study was to investigate the cultural aspects that hinder the tourism industry in Singapore. The researcher aimed at identifying the factors that hinder tourists from visiting the tourist destination in Singapore.

Based on the research findings majority of the respondents agree with the statement that Cultural activities in this community attract a variety of tourists. This means that cultural practices pray a critical role in determining the level of revenue to be achieved from the tourism industry. The negative tourist practices can, therefore, act as a barrier to tourism in the country. Tourism is also influenced by household income. When the household income is low it means that there will be low demand for tourism products in the country.

Proper management of cultural heritage institutions and natural resources maintenance in their natural conditions is important in a tourist attraction. Based on the research finding the researcher observed that 60.3% of the respondent agreed with this statement hence poor management of cultural heritage institutions, and natural resources maintenance may hinder tourism development in the country. 58% of the respondents confirmed that the Challenges of illiteracy and exposure hinder tourism. Risks of deterioration of the cultural product and monuments hinder tourism as confirmed by 57.5% of the respondents.

5.0 CHAPTER FIVE:  Discussion

The findings of this study revealed the effect impact of culture on the tourism industry as well as the challenges that hinder the tourism growth in Singapore. Based on the findings of the study cultural practices play a critical role in the development of the tourism industry. A significant positive relationship is observed between cultural practices and tourism development. Some of the factors that affect the tourism industry in Singapore include infrastructure, hospitality, cultural heritage and events, cost of staying, and environmental factors. This finding is an agreement with the study conducted by Stynes (1997) who established that in order to have sustainable tourism, factors that support and surround humans such as culture, environment, and infrastructure should be used responsibly. Moreover, this study also established that cost of staying is an important factor that promotes tourism. This implies that for tourists to be attracted to Singapore, their culture needs to embrace affordable accommodation.  To measure the effect of cultural effect on the tourism industry we assessed the effect of custom and artifacts, cultural festivals, and traditional rituals on tourism development. The researcher applied the random sampling technique to conduct the study. The data were analyzed through descriptive and inferential statistics.

The first research objective was aimed at establishing the influence of cultural practices on the tourism industry in Singapore. The findings revealed that cultural practices made Singapore a favorite tourist destination.  Music festivals, dances, traditional foods, customs, and artifacts were major tourist attractions in Singapore.

Correlation analysis between the cultural practices and tourist industry demonstrated a positive relationship. Regression analysis indicated that cultural practices and the development of the tourism industry we significant and positively related. The findings for regressions analysis indicated that cultural practices and tourism showed (r=0.486, p=0.003).

Based on the findings of the study the tourism industry is affected by cultural practice in the country Household income affect the tourism industry in Singapore as we observed that most of the people who visit the tourist destination are interdependent and hence level of income will play a critical role on making the decision whether to visit tourist sit or not. proper management of cultural heritage institutions and natural resources maintenance in their natural conditions is important in a tourist attraction. Further, the tourist industry is affected by the Challenges of illiteracy and exposure.

6.0 CHAPTER: Conclusion and Recommendation

The findings of this research provided information that is crucial for the improvement of the tourism industry in Singapore; there should be adequate policies that ensure more tourists are attracted to witness the cultural heritage and activities of Singapore. Moreover, the policies enacted should be focused on improving Singapore’s tourist attraction sites and protecting its culture. The Singapore government should prepare more culturally attractive and accessible events since more tourists leave their various homes to come and witness cultural events and festivals in Singapore.

From the analysis of multiple regressions, some of the recommendations that can be suggested are; the government should maintain standard costs of staying in the country for the tourists. For instance, the government should enact policies and legislations that regulate the cost of accommodation for hotels in Singapore to be at a standard rate and vary depending on the quality and rating of the hotels.

The research findings indicated that there exists a significant and positive relationship between cultural practices (traditional practices, customs and artifacts, and cultural festivals) and the tourism industry in Singapore. The research findings indicate that the tourism industry is significantly influenced by cultural practices. The cultural festival and customs and artifacts influence tourism significantly.  From the research finding it was also demonstrated that the tourism industry is much influenced much by the family values upheld by society.

Customs and artifacts make Singapore be unique tourist destinations. Many tourists are interested to learn some of the customs practiced in another part of the world apart from their home country. For example, tourist goes to Singapore to visit the UNESCO heritage sites which store the wealth of traditions and customs of Singapore people. Further Archeological sites remain to be the most reason why tourists visit Singapore.  More sore artifacts like Singapore Stone, Portrait of Sir Frank Athelstane Swettenham, Last will and testament of Munshi Abdullah and others make Singapore be the best destination for tourist.

Tourists popularly attended traditional events.  Specifically, tourist visits Singapore during the recognized traditional events like the Dragon Boat Festival, Lantern Festival (Mid-Autumn Festival), Thaipusam, and Singapore National Day. Cultural ceremony celebrations/events are observed to increase the usage of tourism products hence promote the growth and development of the tourism industry in Singapore.

5.4 Recommendation

Based on the findings and conclusion of this study the researcher recommends the following recommendations.  The government should develop new products based on different cultural practices as culture has huge untapped potential for tourism development. The stakeholders in the tourism industry should develop products that will attract more tourists.

The government and other stakeholders should prioritize cultural festivals as they play a critical role in promoting tourism as well as the conservation of culture. Songs, dances, drama, and music should be preserved for tourist attractions. Therefore need for promoting cultural festivals. The cultural festival days should be well defined to make them unique for tourists’ attractions. The government should prioritize in enhancing traditional dances and music of the communities residing near tourist destinations in Singapore.

Artifacts and customs should be documented and profiled for easy access by the tourist. The stakeholders Singapore tourism industry should profile artifacts and customs and set up heritage sites for the visitors to access them. These include artifacts and customs adornment and clothing, traditional homestay, and archeological homestays.

Environmental factors also play a key role in the attraction and satisfaction of tourists in Singapore. Environmental factors include the availability of quality and clean water supply, quality of air, the level of noise, personal safety and security, and general cleanliness. Hence, the Singapore government should ensure they put mitigation measures to ensure there is reduced noise originating from vehicles and trains. This can be achieved through technological innovations, where the government can enact laws compelling motorists to install sound-absorbing technologies.

Cultural attraction and accessibility are also vital for the attraction and satisfaction of tourists. Cultural attraction and accessibility factors comprise various cultural attractions sites and events like museums, and cultural heritage events, natural attractions, traveling convenience, accessibility to the local authority, and medical treatments. Hence, the government should ensure that museums and other cultural heritage institutions are well maintained to keep up with the ever-changing tourism market globally.

Suggested Areas for Further Study

In the future, the researcher should consider the introduction of an intervening variable on the relationship between cultural practice and the tourism industry.  The researcher should also consider investigation on the other variable that affects the growth and development of the tourist industry in Singapore.

7.0 EVALUATION

The project can be considered successful in that it has established the discussion of a precise topic that is easily researchable. The study has used the appropriate sample size and established a correlation between culture and tourism in Singapore. Moreover, the topic has a clear stated focus, therefore, it helped in avoiding running into information roadblocks. The topic also enabled the development of unique arguments based on the works of different scholars. The dissertation also focused on developing memorable arguments. This compels the readers to accomplish new thinking perspectives and will remember the work even long after.

In the development of this dissertation, I was able to acquire a set of skills that are vital in future research projects. One of the skills is a project management and data collection. Despite the duration for completing this dissertation being short-term, it still required the input of organization and planning. It involved developing a project and schedule to achieve the final results, which are vital in research. Collecting data by use of questionnaires equipped me with data collection skills and how to develop data collection tools. Another significant skill gained is the comprehensive development of arguments through writing. The ability to collect and analyze the data is a highly valued skill I gained. I was able to evaluate the information obtained and presented it in a comprehensive manner.

Time management was essential in the whole process of developing the dissertation. One of the ways I was able to manage time successfully was by creating a roadmap for the entire procedure of establishing the dissertation. However, I encountered certain difficulties in data collection because some tourists were not ready to co-operate me, in that they were not ready to answer the questionnaires.

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9.0 Appendix: SAMPLE QUESTIONNAIRE

Please fill the boxes, and return them to the researcher. Thank you in advance for your cooperation.

QUESTIONNAIRE: UNDERSTANDING FACTORS THAT LEAD TO TOURIST ATTRACTION AND SATISFACTION

Cultural practices 

Tourism Development 

Cultural barriers