Forum: Train seniors as tour guides

As tourism arrivals increase in Singapore, the hospitality industry needs to gear up to meet the demand for its services (4,000 jobs available in tourism as sustainability push continues, Jan 20).

We should not overlook the services that senior citizens could offer the tourism industry. With some training, I am sure they would make good tour guides who could share their life experiences and bring to life the history of Singapore.

They could share their memories of when The Fullerton Hotel Singapore used to serve as the General Post Office, and of how the Marina Bay area was built on reclaimed land. They could share stories from their childhood, when they lived in kampungs instead of the flats that tourists can now see all over Singapore.

Nowadays, many tourists visit countries not only for sight-seeing but also for unique experiences.

They would appreciate the chance to hear a country’s story told by someone with first-hand experience, which would give them a better understanding of the transformation that Singapore as a young nation went through in just one generation.

Harry Ong Heng Poh