SINGAPORE – Even as the Singapore Tourism Board expects the Republic’s tourism sector to recover fully from the pandemic by 2024, some local travel agencies say they have not been able to shift up a gear due to a shortage of tour bus drivers.
“We are not fully utilising our entire fleet and are not able to service and complete all business demands,” he said. The company did not reveal how many coaches it has in its fleet.international visitor arrivals to Singapore are expected to hit 12 million to 14 million in 2023,Singapore welcomed a total of 6.3 million visitors in 2022, a fraction of the record 19.1 million in 2019.
“Many locals who are keen on driving as a career have chosen to be private-hire drivers, food and parcel delivery riders,” the spokesman added. “There are perks of being self-employed with flexible working hours and days, especially for those below 50 years old.” LongLim operations manager Ang Zi Wei said the company is currently paying its tour bus drivers a maximum of more than $5,000 a month after pay adjustments, taking into account factors such as overtime pay and peak-season demand.