eTN, 9-27-2006
A survey of over 900 Singaporeans showed that 73 per cent believe more should be done to encourage tourism, while some find sharing the city a little testing at times.
More Singaporeans - some three-quarters of them - also felt tourism brings benefits over costs, compared to respondents in Hong Kong (65%), Thailand (61%) and Indonesia (41%). 84 per cent of those surveyed said tourism helps create jobs and lifts the economy while 74 per cent appreciated the increased cultural exchanges. However, nearly a quarter said there is a downside to tourism, including diluting Singapore culture, putting a strain on infrastructure and having too many foreigners around. While most tourists are seen in a positive light by a majority of Singaporeans, some are not. 49 per cent of Singaporeans voted mainland Chinese as the least polite visitors followed by those from India (14%) and America (6%). The survey was carried out by global market research company, Synovate. - CNA/ir
