Amid an influx of eateries selling mala hotpot alongside shops touting kitschy souvenirs, some tourism and heritage experts here are questioning if Chinatown is losing its local flavour.

At a forum at the URA Centre yesterday, where preliminary findings of a survey on Chinatown were presented, attendees discussed among other things, the challenge of balancing commercial interests with cultural ones in the precinct, as well as its evolving role.