NUS trains 74 students to guide tours; restricts peak-hour access to manage tourist traffic

SINGAPORE – Nearly 400 tour slots for visitors to the NUS campus have been booked for Jan 13 to Feb 7, with the university training 74 of its own students to conduct such tours.

From Jan 13 to Feb 21, visitors must pre-book guided tours of University Town led by these trained students, comprising ambassadors or docents, said NUS on Jan 14, in response to queries from The Straits Times.

On Jan 13, the first day of the student-led guided tours, student ambassadors and docents conducted tours for a total of 271 tourists at UTown.

Groups with pre-booked tours are required to submit bus licence-plate details as outlined in a circular issued by associate provost for undergraduate education Daniel Goh on Jan 13.

The move comes as the university continues to work on managing high tourist traffic on campus during peak travel seasons from January to February, and August, Professor Goh said.

This is the latest step in addressing a growing influx of visitors since 2024.

Visitors “are expected to strictly adhere to the university’s guidelines on campus tours”, Prof Goh said, adding that they are expected to “uphold visitor etiquette” to ensure minimal disruption. They will also be issued “special identification for easy recognition”, he said.

A pilot Digital Campus Access Pass has also been introduced from Jan 13 which will grant access to official guests of the university and authorised vendors to UTown foodcourts and the internal shuttle bus during restricted access timings.

The restricted access hours on weekdays between Jan 13 and Feb 21 are 11am to 2pm for UTown foodcourts, and 8am to 2pm for the university’s internal shuttle bus.

To support these efforts, the university’s student union deployed a team of student associates to

work with security officers to ensure compliance

with visitor guidelines in foodcourts and on internal shuttle buses, and to assist with crowd management, NUS said.

The university “remains committed to ensuring minimal disruption to the teaching and learning for our students and staff”, it said, adding that longer-term measures were being developed in “close consultation” with the student union body.

The influx, first reported earlier in 2024, saw students up in arms about overcrowding in canteens and on internal bus shuttles, among other issues.

The complaints prompted the NUS administration to

set up a pop-up visitor centre

to better manage the flow of visitors.

In August 2024, the student union body called for a town hall with the university management and undergraduates to address students’ unhappiness.

The administration said then that security personnel will be stationed at selected bus stops to allow only students, staff and authorised visitors to board, while access to UTown foodcourts will be limited for visitors.

Fourteen other measures were announced then, which included ensuring tour buses pick up and drop off visitors only at designated points, increasing the frequency of internal shuttle buses, as well as prioritising access for staff and students during peak hours.

Prof Goh added then that tourist access to the university’s internal shuttle bus and UTown foodcourts will also be restricted during peak hours, and access for visitor buses to UTown will be restricted at all hours.

In December 2024, the measures were updated to include mandatory registration for group tour slots, where such visitors have to be accompanied by a student ambassador or docent.

According to a Facebook post by NUS Students’ Union, a student ambassador is responsible for “leading structured campus tours, managing the pulse of the visitor centre’s operations, and providing excellent visitor services to ensure a welcoming and informative experience for visitors”.

As for registered student docents, they are responsible for leading “personalised campus tours all while upholding (the) university’s guidelines and policies to ensure a welcoming and informative experience for visitors”.

Student ambassadors are appointed under the NUS Student Work Scheme to lead tours for those who have engaged tour guides licensed by Singapore Tourism Board (STB).

Registered student docents are students who are registered with the university to conduct independent tours on campus.

Student docents have “the flexibility to customise and curate their tours according to the specific needs and preferences of different groups”, said NUS, including those without STB-licensed tour guides and independent travellers.

“They can operate with greater autonomy, within the university’s guidelines,” NUS said.

In the circular, Prof Goh said that those providing tour guide services must have a valid licence from the Singapore Tourism Board, and all NUS students who conduct tours on campus must register as an ambassador or docent.

Unlicensed tour guides found conducting tours in NUS will be reported to the authorities, while students conducting unreserved tours will be subject to disciplinary action, he added.