Tourism Management Marina Bay and Marina Barrage

Question: Discuss about the Tourism Management for Marina Bay and Marina Barrage. Answer: Introduction The Marina Bay Garden is a nature park located on a reclaimed land in central Singapore while Marina Barrage is a reservoir or a dam located at the confluence of five rivers between east and south of Marina (Kaplan, 2016). In the following context, I will describe the experience I gained when on my trip to the two tourism attractions. Besides, I will discuss the activities carried on in these two areas as well as how they are managed. Finally, I will explore the two problems which are facing the two sites and how the managers can overcome them. Explanation and Issues Starting with the Marina Bay Garden, it is a government creation aimed to improve the quality of flora and fauna in the city (Yap, 2013) it was fully completed in 2012.To sustain the Garden, it is supported by the three Gardens; Bay East, Bay South AND Bay Central Gardens making it occupy approximately 101 hectares. The Bay provides Singaporeans an urban recreational space in Singapore City. The largest issue facing the Garden is high expenditure to maintain its beauty. The government spends approximately $53 million annually as operating cost. The cost is foregone due to structural designs and concepts as well as maintaining the large-scale arts constructed, for example, the Hotel Towers at Sky Park in Marina Bay Sands. On the other hand, Marina Barrage which is a barrier was completed in 2008, is located across the marina channel providing a water catchment area (Koh, Lim, 2015). The dam is adjacent to the Marina Bay providing it with fresh water. It is quite large enough, approximately 350 meters long and a total of 240 hectares of the surface area. The issues facing the Barrage involve cleaning up the waters to prevent pollution. Since many people visit the place, paper, plastic, oil and organic dumping may be common. The government relocated over 4000 squatters living close to the waters which led to high expenditure as well as disruption of peoples normal lifestyles. Commitment of Key Stakeholders Marina Bay Garden The Garden is managed by the Singapore government which spent huge amounts of funds to set it up and make it operational. The government constructed conservatories comprising of the flower dome and the cloud forest. The flower dome consists of 1.2 hectares of a glasshouse, and the cloud forest is about 0.8 hectares, the two maintain a serene environment within the area. Moreover, the Garden is also made attractive by use of super tree groves which are structures resembling trees but are used for shading and planting new seedlings (Tiatco, 2015) Since the government spent many funds towards the Garden, it benefits from visitors, both local and international who tour Singapore to visit the Bay. The government has ensured that tourists are attracted by the construction of the Marina Bay Sands Sky Park to have a comfortable view of Singapore City, Art Science Museum and the Singapore Flyer (Hakam, Wee, Yang, 2015).There is also a Childrens Garden for the kids. The leisure activities available include Formula 1 car racing, gaming, and gambling in the Marina Bay Sands Casino and the sports activities done on the Golf Course which is open to the public. The government is also committed to using the Garden commercially by providing horticulture and flower markets for export which in turn earns it revenue. Marina Barrage The dam is owned by the Singapore government which spent about 226 million SGD to construct it. The dam provides fresh water catchment area, prevention of floods by forming a tidal barrier to excess sea water (Irvine, Chua, Eikass, 2014). The government has permitted leisure and tourism activities by creating a new lifestyle attraction. This involves boating and kayaking. By setting up the dam, these activities are ever available since they are never affected by tides or changes of the water level. On the Marina channel, people enjoy flying kites, football, playing card games and moving out for picnics. These features enable the Barrage to be a tourist attraction site. Not only does the Barrage provide recreational activities, but it also serves to build a sustainable environment. For example, it uses renewable solar energy to provide lighting all over the place at night. That makes it win environmental awards such as the American Academy of Environmental Engineers (AAEE) where it won the top position in 2009 (Perlinger, Paterson, Mayer, Griffis, Holles, 2013) Approaches and Alternatives to the Management Issues Marina Bay Garden Since the greatest challenge is minimizing operating cost, the Singapore government has decided to subsidize half of the expenses, and the remaining costs will be raised through commercial renting, car park charges and admission fees. However, a minister quoted that the Garden does not ask for entrance fee from the visitors. Since the government is experiencing substantial costs, it should introduce a small and affordable price for the visitors to raise revenue. This will be an alternative. (Flannery Smith, 2015) Say that the Garden receives about 11.8 million visitors each year. If they contribute an entrance fee, they will assist the government considerably. The other possible alternative could be diversification of commercial activities. The government should put more efforts on the growth of flowers and the horticultural sector to double the sales. This can be done through global advertising through suitable media such as the internet, worldwide TV channels such as the BBC and CNN. Promoting the business will boost its sales rising revenue. The restaurants can be better made to be world-class providing comfortable accommodation and all kinds of meals for the tourists visiting the area, for example, having sections to provide own Chinese, African, and European foods. Marina Barrage The Singapore government relocated residents to avoid water pollution. The exercise was a good plan to eliminate water pollution challenge. However, the problem is still persistent in that the visitors, although not all, are dumping wastes on the land and in the water. An alternative to solve this issue would be providing enough litter bins for visitors to drop the litter. Moreover, people should not be allowed to be close to reservoirs; they should go to the allocated play areas. Well labeled and conspicuous posters can be placed in strategic areas to create awareness that litter should not be dumped everywhere. Retailers trading within the areas should be cautioned not to litter their products all over. They can also be used by the government to remind the visitors to keep litter in the litter bins. Conclusion Both Marina Bay Garden and the Barrage serve as significant tourist attraction centers to the Singapore government. The state should, therefore, focus on maintaining them not only to earn revenue but also to provide a world-class beauty of Singapore. The country is subtle hindering it from participating in other sectors such as agriculture, mining and large industrial activities. 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