SINGAPORE - A woman was fined $1,800 on Wednesday (Dec 9) for acting as a tour guide without a valid licence.

Enforcement officers from the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) caught Su Sooi Hong showing a group of tourists around at Merlion Park on June 23, 2014.

She admitted that she was covering the tour guide duties of her elder sister Su Siew Peng and had received payment from her. The latter was convicted on Nov 4 for abetting an unlicensed tourist guide, and fined $1,800.

In a statement on Wednesday, STB said it "adopts a serious view against those who engage in unlicensed tourist guiding activities and will not hesitate to take necessary actions to safeguard the reputation of Singapore's tourism sector".

It added that it will continue to carry out regular enforcement checks on the ground.

All tour guides in Singapore are required to obtain licences issued by STB.

Unlicensed guides face fines of up to $5,000. Repeat offenders may be fined up to $10,000.