Unlicensed Tour Guides in Singapore

The following question stood in the name of

Mrs Lina Chiam: –

11 To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry (a) what is the number of unlicensed tour guides caught during the last five years; (b) what is the most common nationality of unlicensed tour guides caught; (c) whether there has been an increasing influx of unlicensed tour guides to Singapore; and (d) if so, whether the Singapore Tourism Board is stepping up enforcements to curb this influx.

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Mr Patrick Tay Teck Guan asked the Minister for Trade and Industry (a) what is the annual number of unlicensed tour guides detected operating in Singapore for the past 10 years; (b) how many of those detected are prosecuted; and (c) what is Singapore Tourism Board's plan and strategy to combat against unlicensed tour guides carrying out guiding in Singapore in whatever form and duration.

Dr Lily Neo (Tanjong Pagar): Question No 11, Sir.

Mr S Iswaran (for the Minister for Trade and Industry): Mr Speaker, Sir, may I your permission to take Question Nos 11 and 12 together?

Mr Speaker: Yes, please.

Mr S Iswaran: Thank you, Sir. Any person guiding tourists in Singapore for remuneration has to be licensed by the Singapore Tourism Board (STB). Licensing ensures that tourist guides in Singapore are knowledgeable about our heritage, geography and tourism offerings, and have the requisite language proficiency and professional conduct. As at 31 May 2012, there were 2,312 licensed tourist guides in Singapore. Ninety-six percent of these guides were Singapore citizens or permanent residents. This proportion has held steady since 2007. Many of the non-Singaporean guides are guiding in foreign languages.

STB takes a serious view of illegal guiding and takes enforcement action against unlicensed activities. Unlicensed guides who are first-time offenders are issued stern warnings in lieu of prosecution, and encouraged to undergo proper training and licensing. Travel agents that engage such unlicensed guides will be similarly warned if they are first-time offenders. In addition, these travel agents will be required to implement measures to ensure full compliance, and will also be subjected to closer scrutiny by STB.

The incidence of illegal guiding had not been high in the past: there were only 11 suspected cases of unlicensed guiding out of all enforcement checks conducted between 2007 and 2010, with Singaporeans accounting for about half of these cases. However, such activity has become more apparent in recent years, which may be partly attributable to the rapid growth in our visitor arrivals. For example, feedback to STB on unlicensed guiding doubled between 2010 and 2011.

In response, STB has more than doubled the frequency of enforcement checks, to 200 spot-checks in 2011. In addition, STB has also mounted large-scale raids at key tourist spots. Three such operations have been conducted since 2011, yielding a total of 152 suspect cases. To date, 38 individuals and companies have been issued warning letters and advisories, with locals and foreigners making up about an equal share of these first-time offenders.

Nevertheless, there are some inherent limitations to STB's enforcement capabilities today, which we are addressing. First, the provisions of the Tourist Guides Regulations today are defined quite narrowly, making detection and enforcement challenging. Second, illegal guiding is neither a seizable nor compoundable offence. This means offenders cannot be penalised on the spot, and foreign offenders in particular may leave the country before investigations are complete. Third, the current penalties for illegal guiding were set in 1985 and we need to update them to maintain their deterrent effect.

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To address these limitations, MTI and STB are reviewing the regulatory framework and will progressively introduce changes and enhancements. In the meantime, STB has committed more resources to increase its enforcement, and will continue to do so.

STB, as well as the Ministry, understands the concerns of the various stakeholders over this matter, and has engaged industry members as well as NTUC's Tourist Guide Chapter several times. More can and will be done, and I urge the industry and all stakeholders to work closely with STB on this effort.

Dr Lily Neo: Sir, I would like to ask the Second Minister how many local Singaporean guides have been displaced and deprived of their living due to this influx of foreign unlicensed guides. Does the Minister see the urgency in tackling this issue and when can we see the result to tighten this regulation?

Mr S Iswaran: Mr Speaker, Sir, I thank the Member for her question. Firstly, I think it would be wrong to assume that all unlicensed guides are foreigners. Indeed, as I quoted from the statistics, it is roughly in equal proportions, Singaporeans and non-Singaporeans or foreigners. So, we should bear that in mind when we approach this. Secondly, on what number has been displaced, I think it would be hard for me to guess because it depends on factors that are unknown to us and we really do not know how many are actually involved in this.

More important than all of this, we need to be very clear that our objective is to make sure that the tourism experience in Singapore is an authentic one for the visitors. Therefore, we want to ensure that, by and large, Singaporeans and permanent residents are the ones who are providing this – specifically Singaporeans, because they would have the experience, the knowledge and the feel for the country, which is what tourists seek when they visit a country. I think that is our primary objective. But I cannot quantify the displacement effect simply because it would be difficult to do so. We really do not know what is out there other than what is revealed by our enforcement statistics.

Mr Patrick Tay Teck Guan: I am glad that the Second Minister shared earlier that his Ministry is considering more deterrent penal sanctions against unlicensed guides, including even considering whether to make the offence seizable. I have two supplementary questions: firstly, in this enhancement of the enforcement provisions, whether it also extends to meting out penalties to travel agents who hire these unlicensed guides. Secondly, STB – as what the Second Minister mentioned – in stepping up enforcement, has its limitations. Has STB considered outsourcing some of these enforcement functions? And if so, may I also suggest that those outsourced to conduct their enforcement checks should have the relevant experience in detecting these unlicensed guides because it is an industry which is quite unique and it is not easy to detect. As what the Minister has said earlier, I hope his Ministry or STB does work closely with the NTUC's Tourist Guide Chapter in the detection and prevention of these unlicensed guides.

Mr S Iswaran: Mr Speaker, Sir, I thank the Member for his questions and suggestions. I omitted in my earlier response to address a point raised by the Member Dr Lily Neo, on the timing for the introduction of measures. There is a quite range of issues that we have to deal with, so it will take us time. The intention is really to review and progressively introduce the measures. The sooner we can, and where we can move faster, we will do so. Then, there will be other elements which may require perhaps changes in regulation or legislation, in which case it may take a bit longer. Overall, I expect that in the next 12 to 18 months, perhaps a bit longer for some of the provisions, we should be able to address some of them.

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On the Member's question about whether we will enhance the enforcement provisions, and to address travel agents as well, the answer is "yes". It will be a comprehensive look at the range of issues and the stakeholders in the industry. I want to inform Members that, today, the regime is such that we do have penalties against those who are illegal tour guides, those who are employing illegal tour guides and the travel agents as well, that is, the companies, the body corporate. The penalties range from fines to, in the case of travel agencies, even imprisonment and revocation or suspension of their licence.

The second point is whether STB is outsourcing its functions. In fact, today, STB already outsources its enforcement activities. The key here is to make sure that we are adequately and well resourced, and the enforcement is well targeted to ensure it yields the best outcomes. And I take the Member's point that we will continue to work every closely with the industry and other stakeholders to address some of these issues.

Mr David Ong: Mr Speaker, I would like to thank the Second Minister for the clarification. I want to check whether there is an acute shortfall of tourist guides in Singapore. If indeed so, can we then encourage more to take up this trade or to try and convert those who are practising underground to come up and be converted to become fully licensed travel guides?

Mr S Iswaran: Mr Speaker, I thank the Member for the suggestion. I do not have an exact demand-supply analysis for the Member. But what I can say is that if you look at the growth in tourism in Singapore and the way which it is being compounding, and if you look at the new attractions and the enhancements of existing attractions that have taken place over the years, clearly there is an opportunity for different types of jobs in the sector, and tour guide is one of them for sure, but that is not the only path where the jobs are being created. There is a whole spectrum of jobs being created in the tourism sector.

We have tried to communicate this at different fora, at different platforms, that there is opportunity and people from different aspects or different skills background to be able to adapt to the opportunities in this sector. If you look at our polytechnics and universities, a range of programmes are being offered as part of pre-employment training, to prepare our potential workers for the market opportunities.

I think this message can be reiterated and, in fact, I would urge all Members to help us get this message out. In terms of tour guiding, in particular, I think we have got the Singapore Tour Guides Association which works with STB as well as the NTUC's Tourist Guide Chapter that has been started. These will be two other channels through which we can get this message out in a more systematic way.

Mr Speaker: Mr Yeo Guat Kwang, last question.

Mr Yeo Guat Kwang (Ang Mo Kio): Sir, I understand that for a local or Singaporean to become a tour guide, he has to take a course and go through a very tedious examination. I would like to ask the Second Minister whether this would also apply to a foreigner who becomes a tour guide in Singapore. If not, should we do so, and would the Ministry consider certain enforcement?

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Mr S Iswaran: Mr Speaker, Sir, l thank the Member for the opportunity to clarify this point. The process is a simple and straightforward one, which is equally applicable to whether you are a Singaporean, PR or foreigner. Essentially, first, you have to undertake a course which is conducted by two approved entities – one is the Tourist Management Institute of Singapore and the other is the Singapore Chinese Chamber Institute of Business – if I remember correctly. They conduct the courses, and typically these are part-time courses which take about six months. Thereafter, they have the aspiring tour guides take a multi-choice question test, and then they have to take a simulated practical as well, where they will be judged for their competence. In the case of a Singaporean, he or she can then proceed to apply for their tour guide licence from STB.

In the case of someone who is a foreigner, he or she will also have to secure employment with a travel agent who will then have to get the appropriate clearances from MOM before the individual is licensed as a tour guide for Singapore. So, there is actually an additional hurdle when it comes to a foreign tour guide; otherwise the rules are all the same.