Hawkers aiming high as Unesco listing of S’pore’s hawker culture reaches two-year mark

SINGAPORE – In December 2020, Singapore scored a coup when the Republic’s three-year bid for its hawker culture to be inscribed on the Unesco intangible cultural heritage list succeeded.

There was a buzz in the air with hopes that the Unesco recognition, Singapore’s first on the list, would see tourists flock to the island as Covid-19 appeared to die down. One forum letter to The Straits Times urged the authorities to refresh hawker centre infrastructure such as lifts and toilets ahead of the arrival of planeloads of hungry customers.