The Bidding Farewell To Our National Heritage Tourism Essay

The original architecture of Singapore, kampong edifice has all disappeared. Many foresee that these staying mini-mart or proviso store that you located under the nothingness deck is at a parlous province of being replaced by air conditioning 24 hours or the ‘7-11outlets ‘ . Shop houses have been demolished to do topographic point for condominiums, hotels, subject Parkss and shopping promenades. Much semisynthetic architecture is ruling Singapore ‘s scarce land. If you will to look at the history of Singapore, It was a really engorged trading port where people from all over the universe did trading for a life but the really same topographic point now shows no hint of any trading. It is difficult to conceive of the island that was one time a fishing small town has become such a placid topographic point to pass your eventide to chill out with some close friends. It shows no being of any commercial activity that has of all time taken topographic point at that place. Singapore has changed from a field Jane into a vivacious metropolis, and about everyplace is another new creative activity designed by world. Historian Julian Davison, sharing similar sentiments with me, stated that rich cultural tradition that one time made life more colourful and broader has disappeared ( Lim, S.L.2010.pp21 ) . The imported architectural ornament has clearly outshined the oriental mystique and appeal which best symbolized in old edifice.

The landmark and memorial sites no longer holds any important significance. Man-made architecture is bit by bit taking away the spotlight and being replaced by the original ‘Feel ‘ of Singapore. In the yesteryear, the civic territory located in the bosom of the Central Business District was the site of the beginnings of modern Singapore. The country is filled with memories of past events and old colonial edifice. Some of the outstanding landmarks are: Singapore River, Supreme Court and City hall, Raffles Hotel, Old Parliament Houses / elephant statue, Civilian War Memorial, Lim Bo Seng Memorial, Cavanagh Bridge, Statues of Stamford Raffles, Victoria Theatre and Memorial Hall, Merlion Park, Cenotaph, Dalhousie obelisk. Other historical countries include Small India and the Malay countries of Geylang Serai and Kampong Glam ( Tourism and Heritage Conservation, 2010, p.43 ) . But merely how many tourers truly take the attempt to do a trip at that place. Just how many tour cusp or booklet is foregrounding Singapore ‘s beginning? The merchandising point is no longer the same ten old ages ago. If a rider on the plane asks the cabin crew for the latest attractive force to travel to, the first idea that comes across any immature Singaporean is to urge the Marina Bay Sands ‘ dark position, the Megazip Adventure Park at Sentosa and the Singapore Flyer where one can capture the sight of Singapore from a small capsule. Those historic landmarks are going disused and are non worthy to be mentioned any longer. As the state ‘s economic system flowers with the rise of semisynthetic architecture, people are significantly traveling along with the globalisation. The historical sites in Singapore will finally lose their radiance and go a history themselves.

The Singapore Government puts more focal point on newfound architectures ‘ excellence instead than the cherished historical substructures left behind by our sires.

The touristry industry is ever-changing, and states will hold to be radical in order to maintain up with the economic system and be on par with the international criterions. Harmonizing to a recent intelligence article published by the Singapore Tourism Board ( STB ) ( 2010 ) , they have done their prep by making prediction, and “ the prognosiss underscore assurance in the recovery of the touristry industry ( para 1 ) . ” In order to resuscitate the touristry industry, the STB plans to supply an “ evolved finish trade name that empowers visitants to personalise their experience ” ( National Tourism Board, 2010. ) . In order to germinate finishs ‘ individuality, they will hold to travel through alterations and large-scale ascents to maintain up with the universe.

Singapore has besides shown the first mark of a weak touristry public presentation in 2008. The diminution was due to the planetary economic lag and H1N1 ( Swine Flu ) eruption. Despite such negativeness, Singapore built seven new hotels in 2009 and 10 new hotels in 2010 ( Asiatic Tourism Guide 2009/2010, p.40 ) . The hotels built have yet to run into the demand of the inflow of tourer that is expected to lift in the twelvemonth 2010. The authorities has been maximising its limited land to promote more investors to develop themed hotel undertaking.

The job is whether the edifice of new hotels and edifices will dull the radiance of Singapore ‘s historical sites, ensuing in a visitant rate downswing?

The Singapore Government puts more focal point on newfound architectures ‘ excellence instead than the cherished historical substructures left behind by our sires. There is a Chinese stating that a ginger merely gets spicier as it ages. This stating is extreme applicable to what our sires have left us. The longer we maintain our heritage substructures and civilization, the more valuable it gets. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization ( UNESCO ) recognise this point, and has set up an organisation that lists international celebrated heritage sites under the World Heritage Convention. Unfortunately, harmonizing to The Straits Times ‘ Editor Tan Dawn Wei ( 2009 ) , “ all of Singapore ‘s World No. 1 acknowledgment – whether for its airdrome, business-friendly economic system or state branding – this city state is conspicuously losing from the UNESCO list ” ( para.4 ) . This is particularly demoralizing as we no uncertainty hold experienced rich cultural development throughout all these old ages. But all these alien civilizations in the state do non fit up with our newfound architectures. Harmonizing to Associate professor cum jury member of the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Awards for Culture Heritage Conservation Johannes Widodo, “ universe HeritageA sitesA must hold a cosmopolitan value. Buildings such as those in the civic territory – Raffles Hotel, City Hall, St Andrew ‘s Cathedral – are likely valuable for Singapore, but non so much meaningful beyond this peculiar context ” ( as cited in Tan, 2009, para.27 ) . The truth is that Singapore has been continuously pulverizing possible heritage edifices and invariably upgrading bing 1s ; hence, it is unable to retain any edifices with the ‘vintage feel ‘ and heritage value. For illustration, “ topographic points such as the oldest male child ‘ school and Raffles establishment were being razed to build a shopping promenade and Singapore ‘s tallest hotel now known as the Raffles City. Furthermore, traditional edifices stood at Chinatown, the well-known Chinese-style two- to- three- narrative “ store houses ” were besides being torn down to lodge high-rise edifices ” ( Yuen, 2005, p. 2 ) . At a development province like this, we are far from being shortlisted into the World Heritage Convention. And that itself is a major miss-out in our touristry industry.

Subject Sentences: The young person do non hold sentimental feelings for Singapore compared to the old coevalss.

Generation Y is the hereafter of Singapore. By easy coming into the work force, Generation Y allows parents to retire and bask their good old age. In short, young persons will be traveling through what parents have gone through, to maintain the economic system in Singapore up and running. What sets Generation Y apart is that the old coevalss worked hard to get down from abrasion, whereas for the newer coevalss, young persons have foundation readily established. In short, Generation X works closer to the roots of Singapore because of all the adversity that they have to travel through, but Generation Y is looking into the hereafter in order to convey prosperity to the state. This can ensue in young persons non holding sentimental feelings for Singapore, compared to the old coevalss.

First, Generation X has a comparatively higher ‘sense of belonging ‘ as compared to Generation Y. Harmonizing to Wang Shu-Yi ( 2010 ) , “ sense of topographic point comes from the accretion of experiences in infinite and clip ” ( p.5 ) . Generation X, in this context, spends most of their clip developing Singapore, and hence disbursement most of their clip understanding the state, and so diversifies it to do manner for globalisation. Therefore they retain many memories of how Singapore once looked like, and the heroic poem changes that took topographic point when they were still youths. Wang ( 2010 ) besides noted that “ a topographic point meaningful to local people is a topographic point that brings up alone memories or that formulates a sense of topographic point for an person or groups. However, non every individual experiences the same degree of sense of topographic point ” ( p.4, para.1 ) .

The old coevalss so experience more togetherness than what the young persons are sing now. Because they engages in different activities, and they require people to come together in order to be able to carry through the ends of the activities. For illustration, ‘marble hiting ‘ and ‘insect hunting ‘ are two activities that the older coevals does when they were still youths. The bond that is created throughout all these old ages of togetherness kept Generation X united to the state till this day of the month. Contrastingly, technological promotions are quickly taking their attending span off. While the older coevalss stay comparatively resilient to that, Generation Y embraces them wholeheartedly. The radical ‘Iphone ‘ caused a immense fad worldwide, and most of the childs can be seen keeping onto it. In future, engineering compulsion, being the chief concerns right now, may dominate cultural grasp due to miss of nationalism in the young persons.

Third, young persons are non intrigued by the deep history that was one time a foundation for Singapore. The authorities in their effort to construct up a modern city, have removed facets of our oriental mystique and appeal which are best symbolized in old edifice, traditional activities and hustling roadside activities. Take for illustration the existent of moisture markets are deprecating and being taken over by air conditioning supermarkets such as ‘Shop and Save ‘ . This can turn out that young persons are non ready to understand and be overwhelmed by what has go oning in the yesteryear, and this can be worrying ; young persons may be wholly detached from their sires, ensuing in a distinct ‘Generation Gap ‘ .

Subject Sentences: The cultural traditions are left to the bare minimum ; gay seasons.

Singapore is a state with diverse civilizations bing in the little ruddy point. The four races have lived in peace and harmoniousness through all these old ages, all thanks to our sires that made constructing a multiracial environment possible for us. In each race, we have assorted cultural activities like Chinese New Year, Hari Raya, Deepavali and Christmas, merely to advert one of each from the different races. But apart from the gay seasons that each race celebrates and corsets loyal to, how many of the bulk really remembers the other cultural activities that used to take topographic point in Singapore?

The Chinese in Singapore has this tradition of paying regard to their ascendants on a peculiar 15th of certain month, depending on the lunar calendar. Besides known as the Qingming Festival, the Chinese will take the chance to show fresh flowers in forepart of their ascendants ‘ gravestones, and besides to clean the locality like taking weeds and uncluttering the dried foliages. Sadly, the Qingming Festival is bit by bit being forgotten and fewer people are doing their manner down to the graveyard any longer. Similarly for the Dumpling Festival, Singaporeans presents do non cognize the narrative behind eating a dumpling ; they merely cognize how much each dumpling costs at the nearest java store.

The point here is that cultural heritages are easy being reduced, and easy but certainly. In the content of Singapore Tourism Board ( 2008 ) , states that “ heritage and cultural content is non by and large the favourite point on the lifestyle bill of fare ” ( p.15 ) . Soon plenty, the of import gay seasons will be the lone yearss that remind us of our roots. Wang ( 2010 ) believes that “ the intent of urban preservation is to keep the physical scene of historic metropoliss. This is particularly relevant for traditional ground tackle elements in Asiatic colonies, in order to go on their community oriented purpose and to go on the functional interaction between people and the topographic points in which they live ” ( p.12 ) .

The razing of historic heritages is easy impacting the state, and it could be the possible ground as to why cultural activities are reduced to merely gay seasons. By taking what our sires have left behind for us, it acts as an influence and sends wrong information to the people that substructures are removed because they are non of import. What our sires left behind for us should be retained, because “ in many ways, heritage bears testimony to the corporate significance of a society ‘s values and informs the development of its civilization and life style ” ( National Heritage Board, 2008, p.9 ) As people and infinites interlink with each other, the upbringing of one ‘s thought may go around around the points and edifices near him/her. Now that we are easy globalizing, we are besides constructing new substructure to accommodate to the encouragement of economic system. As they rise, people are easy submerged in new high-rise edifices and mind-bending substructures like the Marina Bay Sands and Resort World Sentosa. This is when their surrounding alterations, and this will besides be where their lifestyle alterations.

The touristry industry non merely relies on hotels and the gambling amusement to thrive ; national history and heritages should be given an equal sum of attending, and to besides be in the spotlight. But with the cultural mentality of people differing, our heritage substructures might be perilously at interest.

Cultural heritages in Singapore are exponentially diluted to do manner for Westernization.

Westernisation might merely be the reply as to why merely gay seasons are celebrated in Singapore. From a state that focuses on four linguistic communications ( English, Mandarin, Malay and Tamil ) , we are traveling towards to going an English-speaking state. And that is merely the start of Westernization ; we are unwittingly miming the tendencies of the western states. Be it the economic system, infrastructures, criterion of life of lifestyle, we decidedly would wish to endeavor for the best. As western states are the leader, other states follow their patterns. People no longer discourse with their household in their Mother Tongues any longer ; English is deemed to be the most of import linguistic communication. Without a good appreciation in the English linguistic communication, one will hold a difficult clip pass oning in future. Similarly, the Marina Bay Sands Arts and Science Museum holds an eldritch resemblance to Sydney ‘s Opera House, be it infrastructure, location or purpose. These replicas show that Singapore is non merely sounding like western states, but besides looking like them. In the long tally, Singapore will be picking up more features from the western states and instilling them into the local facets.

This will take to an unhealthy tendency of the cultural heritages being exponentially diluted, in order to do manner for Westernization. Then First Deputy Prime Minister Mr. Goh Chok Tong said that “ We should non be assimilated by the West and go a pseudo-Western society ” ( as cited in National Heritage Board, 2008, p.15 ) . In twelvemonth 2008, Mr. Goh saw the tendency of a ‘pseudo-Western society ‘ coming into Singapore ; cultural heritages melting off from the state will decidedly add on to this job. With Singaporeans believing the ‘western ‘ manner, there are bound to be certain facets in their civilization that they have to give up in order to do manner for the western civilizations. For illustration, the Chinese in Singapore no longer wear Cheongsam for Chinese New Year any longer. Similarly, there is an addition in the figure of people observing Christmas, even when they are non Christians. This goes to demo that Westernization has influenced people and their mentality to encompass garbs and gay seasons beyond their several races. And in the long tally, heritage sites will be torn down to suit new and overstating edifice designs like the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas and the universe ‘s first Versace hotel, Palazzo Versace Hotel in Australia.

Land Constraint

To remain competitory in the market and to convey in concerns to hike Singapore ‘s economic system, semisynthetic sites were build so as to suit major events such as F1 and the Youth Olympic Games. As Singapore is a little state, infinite restraint may be a conducive factor ensuing in rupturing down some of the historical sites so as to construct more attractive forces to suit to the rapacious appetency of the tourers. Attraction sites such as Esplanade, Singapore circular, Universal Studio Singapore ( USS ) are some of the well known Singapore attractive forces that visitants come for. Singapore which is considered as fast in progress engineerings has allowed people to look frontward to see more new and dramatic attractive forces to be created and introduced. Therefore, it makes it clear that the ‘old ‘ has to do manner for the ‘new ‘ to come.

In add-on, as compared to our neighbouring states such as Malaysia, Thailand, etc, Singapore is losing out in the country of rich civilization, tradition and the of course blessed with natural resources ( Tan, Yeoh and Wang, 2002, p. 5 ) . As a consequence, semisynthetic sites were built as a solution to replace the losing terminal of Singapore in screening of natural home ground and relaxation.

With land restraint in Singapore, to construct hotels and residential edifices, the lone solution is to rupture down some of the heritage historical sites. As the economic system of Singapore is come oning, an inflow of tourer into Singapore is certain to increase. Not merely that the figure of foreign endowments coming into Singapore to work and going Permanent Residents ( PRs ) has besides increased. So in order to house the increasing figure of tourer and future occupants, more hotels and resident edifices are being built to provide to the crowd.

Topic Sentences ( Refuting ) : Historical site is still non neglected

To pull visitants, rupturing down the historical and heritage sites of Singapore to construct more attractive forces may look to be a good solution. However, ‘repackaging ‘ of the current merchandise could be one of the alternate solutions to forestall command farewell to the heritage sites and have the same consequence of pulling visitants.

With the renovation to the sites, non merely can Singapore retain its historical and heritage sites, the rate of visitants coming in will besides better. By repackaging the sites, it can convey out a new side of the attractive force topographic points. Take for instant the transmutation of the conserved heritage edifices, where retail and F & A ; B shops are built among a stretch of colonial edifices. Capitol edifice and Stamford House will be refurbished into a new luxury five-star hotel. Besides, Capitol Theatre will be revitalized into a typical theater ( Wong, 2010 ) . Such programs will convey more plangency into the heritage country.

Besides, 1000000s of dollars were besides spent to rejuvenate the sites such as China Town and Little India. Singapore ‘s historically important sites such as Singapore River and Bugis Street were given a makeover to heighten the ocular and amusement to pull tourer ( Tan, Yeoh and Wang, 2002, p. 4 ) . It is undeniable that it will assist retain the sites for our future coevalss to look at.

Furthermore, the effects of renovation may take to a loss in much of the original features and kernel of the topographic point. The original ‘taste ‘ and ‘scent ‘ of the heritage and historical sites have far been eliminated by the presence of the semisynthetic component. And, when it comes to redevelopment, it is clear that semisynthetic factors will be integrated into the program.

Supporting Refuting: Free entries are promoting the inflow of tourer to see the historical heritage.

For the past one decennary, semisynthetic sites have shown to hold decelerating taken over the heritage sites in pulling visitants into Singapore. Orchard Road has the highest per centum every bit compared to both semisynthetic and historical sites, hitting the per centum of 49 % for the twelvemonth 2009. The other well-known popular site which besides attains a high visit attractive force is none-other than, Sentosa with a per centum of 26 % ( Singapore Tourism Board, 2009, p. 39 ) .

However, the grounds besides clearly identify that other than the two mentioned man-made sites, the other semisynthetic sites were non every bit popular as the other heritage sites in Singapore. China Town and Little India have achieved a comparatively high visited rate of 29 % and 25 % severally. For other sites such as Singapore River, Merlion Park, Padang/Supreme Court/ City Hall/Raffles Hotel and Singapore Botanic Gardens, the per centum shown are far higher than the semisynthetic sites. Therefore, it shows that the heritage sites still possess the impact of pulling visitants into Singapore ( 2009, p. 39 ) .

With the given statistics for twelvemonth 2009, Singapore ‘s heritage and historical sites truly have a great impact as tourer attractive forces. So, does it truly shows that tourers still come to Singapore to look at the sites, given that Singapore ‘s criterion of life is high and things sold ( e.g. nutrient, tickets, adjustment etc ) are congruently as high? Therefore, when tourers come into Singapore, it is believed that computation of the circuit disbursals were made legion times. So with the concealed docket of why the per centum of the heritage and historical sites may still look to be healthy, the ground that contributes to this factor may be due to attractive forces and sites are free-access to the populace ( 2009, p. 39 ) .

With non a individual cent needed for entries, visitants will decidedly take the ‘freebies ‘ over things that need money. Unless the sites are of existent great historical background and is a must-see site, visitants would instead travel to semisynthetic attractive forces for more amusement. Even so, the advantage of holding free entries have surely encouraged the inflow of tourers to see the historical heritage sites to cognize Singapore better.

Decision

Although there is an urgency to overhaul and industrialise developing states, attention is needed to see preservation of the state ‘s cultural heritage. There is a demand to continue every bit much as possible of the historic architecture and atmosphere. There are few ways to reenforce the heritage in Singapore so as to promote a healthy balance between semisynthetic architecture to original architecture. One solution is to better the physical environment by supplying prosaic walk-ways, place, landscape gardening, and control for street marks that make it easier for tourer to hold their independent circuit. We can besides heighten the particular character of each country through the debut of new activities while prolonging the old traditional activities which have touristry value. The authorities can give secondary school pupils excess round activities to actuate them to be the embassadors for Singapore. They will experience the duties to advance historic touristry to Singapore and being more appreciative when they are equipped with the information on how Singapore has come this far by the attempt of our ascendants. Singapore should be proud of its on our ain heritage. Equally much as it prospers, the state we should non abandon its root.