SINGAPORE - Singapore plans to expand the range of business visitors to boost its hard-hit tourism sector, with the return of mass travel still a long way off amid the pandemic, according to the head of the country's tourism agency.
The industry is likely to face more job losses with the number of visitors plunging this year, Keith Tan, chief executive officer of the Singapore Tourism Board said on Tuesday in an interview with Bloomberg Television's Haslinda Amin. Singapore's tourism business is grappling with what could be the city-state's worst recession wrought by the coronavirus pandemic. Retail sales plunged by more than 50 per cent in May from a year earlier, with outlets trying to woo tourists in areas like the Orchard Road shopping strip particularly hard-hit.
The government has launched a domestic travel campaign to try to plug the $27.7 billion shortfall generated by tourism receipts last year. Size limits on tour groups have been relaxed to 50 people, though safe-distancing measures have to be in place for sub-groups of not more than five people.