Transcript of Speech by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at the River Safari Grand Opening, 28 Feb 2014

Ms Claire Chiang,

Chairman, Wildlife Reserves Singapore (WRS)

Mr Lee Meng Tat CEO, WRS

Excellencies, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls

Introduction

I am very happy to be here to open the River Safari this morning! It is Asia’s first and only river-themed wildlife park and home to a “United Nations” of animals. We have jaguars from the Amazon and Brazilian tapirs. We have Peru’s national bird, Rupicola Peruvianus, the Andean cock-of-the-rock which will go on display later this year. We have Kai Kai and Jia Jia, the giant pandas which have settled in well and are a hit with the crowds. And you have heard the Chairman, they have been asked to do some work, and have some babies soon. Together with the Zoo and the Night Safari, the River Safari will make Mandai and its nature cluster here, an even more exciting nature destination.

WRS Journey

We have come a long way in creating beautiful wildlife parks here. Soon after independence, Dr Goh Keng Swee felt that our families needed spaces to enjoy themselves amidst wildlife and nature. As a true economist, he started with a Bird Park because he said; bird seeds cost much less than meat for lions and tigers!

So Jurong Bird Park opened in 1971, and only later on we had the Singapore Zoo in 1973 and much later on, the Night Safari in 1994. They have been enduring successes, internationally renowned tourist attractions, high standards of display, animal care and husbandry and most importantly, they contribute to making Singapore feel like home.

I have always enjoyed visiting the wildlife parks. When our kids were small, Ho Ching and I would bring them here and to the bird park, and we always had a good time. Now the children have grown up, but Ho Ching and I still visit from time to time, and I am always happy to see many families and young children having fun too.

Maintaining and improving our wildlife parks has been the work of successive generations of dedicated and enthusiastic directors and staff. For example, the founder and first Chairman of the Singapore Zoo Dr Ong Swee Law who thought of creative ways to raise money and to keep admission rates affordable, including selling plants and gardening services. And the driving force behind the Night Safari. I am very happy that his grandson is here with us today.

Then, the present team at WRS, led by Claire Chiang. Without their passion, energy and dedication, the River Safari would not have come to pass. Claire has strengthened WRS by upgrading the other parks, so that they remain fresh and interesting, and by raising more than $3 million through its conservation fund to protect endangered wildlife. All while keeping WRS in the black – a remarkable achievement! Well done and thank you very much Claire and your team!

The River Safari is an example of how we are making Singapore a better home for our families. Not just a place to work, but to have fun and to unwind too. With things to do and see for all ages, where diverse cultures meet and enrich our multi-racial community. These are the same reasons which make Singapore an attractive tourist destination.

Promoting Tourism in Singapore

This year marks 50 years of tourism promotion and development in Singapore. In that time, the tourism landscape has completely changed. Back then in 1964, we had 90,000 visitors, that was all. Now we get 15 million visitors per year. From simple attractions, we now have world-class facilities and events.

It did not happen by itself, it took years of hard work. We invested in key infrastructure, such as Changi Airport and Sentosa Island. We made sure the whole system worked together and worked well with smooth immigration clearance, safe streets, everything fitting together reliably and reassuringly. We opened ourselves to the world, to become a meeting place of diverse cultures and creative influences.

We have also taken deliberate steps to enhance our tourism sector by constructing and bringing in world class facilities and events. We decided to build the Integrated Resorts (IRs) in 2005; we started hosting the Formula 1 (F1) race in 2008; we opened Gardens by the Bay in 2012. That is how we keep Singapore a must-see destination.

But the task is never done. We have to continually refresh our attractions and events. Consumers’ tastes will change, facilities and attractions will age, competition and other destinations are stepping up their game – opening new attractions, organising new events. Therefore we must enhance our tourism experience and upgrade the tourism sector.

Enhance Tourism Experience

First of all, we need to enhance the tourism experience. Increasingly, travellers are spoilt for choice. They do not come just for iconic buildings or because you have efficient infrastructure. They want a good experience, a unique and different experience, customised to their interests.

Therefore we have to complement our hardware with good software, imaginative projects, which will create unforgettable experiences which make you want to come back for more visits. And we have been doing this with some success. Take the F1 for example. It is not just a car race but a whole event, a weekend. The highlight of the weekend is the race but we have also organised many other supporting events around it – international conferences, concerts and food festivals. And we have made sure there is something for everyone – so businessmen can fly in to network and do some business, their families can enjoy our tourist attractions, and their children can catch a concert by Rihanna or Jay Chou. And we will extend this to more tourist attractions and events.

Upgrade Tourism Sector

Secondly, we have to upgrade the tourism business. Our companies have to provide more interesting and varied options, to meet the needs of more discerning travellers and our workers have to provide higher quality service, to meet higher expectations.

The Government will support these efforts fully. We have set aside almost $1 billion in a Tourism Development Fund to help develop new tourism projects, to fund new events for leisure and business and to upgrade the whole industry. But at the same time, tourism is not just about money. It is a high-touch industry, not just a high-tech industry. Technology can help overcome manpower constraints, but technology can never fully replace the warmth of people-to-people interaction. So we will do more to give our workers the skills, knowledge, graces and courtesies to do well in this industry. MTI is currently studying how to do this, and we will announce details in due course because fun is serious business in Singapore. So I encourage companies and workers to join us on this shared endeavour, and take full advantage of our schemes to transform our tourism landscape.

Conclusion

Just like the WRS and our wildlife parks, Singapore’s tourism sector must continue to move forward – to provide more exciting experiences for visitors, to enrich our cultural diversity and to make Singapore an even better home to live, work and play. So congratulations, and I look forward to seeing the boat ride and all the animals in the River Safari. Thank you very much!