Much effort has been made to encourage tourists to visit our heartlands, but it turns out not up to expectations. One reason the desired results have not been achieved is there is nothing to boast of our suburbia.

For tourists, the heartlands are no different from downtown such as Orchard Road or Chinatown except there are more HDB flats. Whether it is Tampines, Hougang or Ang Mo Kio, everything is the same: shopping malls, foodcourts and schools.

If the Heartland Tour is to be a tourist attraction, it must be more creative and appealing. Why shop in the heartlands when you can get the same merchandise at the same price in town? Dumplings, barbecued pork and pork-floss buns are easily available in the Central Business District.

If we really want to attract tourists to our housing estates, we must have a sense of uniqueness. Perhaps roadside stalls like pasar malam should be a permanent feature.

One can have a drink or a bite at the roadside instead of the usual hawker centre or kopitiam. Clothes, footwear and souvenirs, be they home-made or imported from neighbouring countries, can be alluring if tourists find them hard to get in town.

What is more important is that a trip to the heartlands should be an eye-opener to the visitor. So, let us be more innovative and make a difference for the tourist dollar.

Jeffrey Law Lee Beng