Commentary: Don’t need a survey to judge if Singapore is exciting
SINGAPORE: Singaporeans exercise non like to exist told that we bombed in a exam of any sort.
So it's no surprise that news on Wednesday (Jan 31) that Singapore is seen as one of the least exciting among 32 cities in Time Out'southward 2022 Urban center Life Alphabetize stirred up a storm on social media.
Netizens rushed to defend Singapore'south reputation, with many highlighting how Singapore has become more interesting over the years with events like the Formula 1 Grand Prix.
A few visitors to Singapore likewise chimed in, saying they've enjoyed their trips hither.
Just the greatest adulation for defending the country's reputation must surely go to the Singapore Tourism Lath (STB) which released a video on Facebook.
"There is nothing exciting to do", the video exclaims against a backdrop of many well-loved attractions, events and activities – including a bungy jump.
Well played STB.
Never mind that no one I know has tried the bungy spring in Singapore. STB's response showing netizens what Singapore has in store for those with a nose for adventure was a brilliant move in earning scores of eyeballs from all effectually the world.
Perhaps STB can chalk up the video every bit a public relations success, with an caused viewership of what would otherwise crave an expensive marketing entrada to promote Singapore as a tourism destination to achieve.
And as information technology was put out merely a day later the Time Out index was reported, ane must also commend STB for the speed at which a response was decided upon and issued.
Its video format, which aimed to prove netizens how exciting Singapore is equally a lifestyle destination with a tongue-in-cheek tone, was also a refreshing intermission from the usual official practise of issuing rebuttals based on written argument and rational logic.
OWNING OUR 31ST PLACE
Where praises were sung and compliments were generously dished out online post-obit STB'south response, these stood in stark dissimilarity to the bulk of comments when the news first broke - comments that seemed to suggest Singapore deserved what it got.
"Concord that Singapore is expensive and slow. I rather spend the money in neighbouring countries to get most of my cash," said i netizen.
Others lamented our lack of civilization and appreciation for the arts, and our famine of creativity and imagination.
Whatever nosotros say almost Singapore, at that place'due south no denying Singaporeans are an interesting bunch who will have something to say well-nigh whatever index the state is placed on, peculiarly if our national pride seems at pale.
Yet it is curious that we should place and then much accent on such surveys which seem subjective and, in this case, based on the opinions of just 235 people living here. Who are these 235 folks and are they representative of our population?
Global surveys are also never free from respondent bias, so allow'southward face it – whether Singapore is exciting or non depends on who you inquire. What makes for a great city to i might seem dull to another.
Where the abundance of new clubbing venues would arguably exist more attractive to a millennial in their twenties, people like myself probably derive more entertainment from sitting at home and watching a favourite television prove with the family – over a basin of fishball noodles from the nearby hawker centre.
So who is to say what the best standards for judging how exciting a metropolis is are?
All this is not to suggest that nosotros deserve a higher position. Indeed the other cities on the list are well-established destinations, known for their alive music and bustling dark life.
But it might be worth taking a step dorsum and asking ourselves - what's the value of such rankings?
RANKED FOR WHAT?
Where we have no shortage of information about how Singapore is doing internationally, whether this be the latest World Economic Forum ranking on competitiveness or Bloomberg's innovation ranking, what is more important is how these should be candy in a meaningful way.
Where rankings of cities as lifestyle destinations have little relevance to resident populations, it seems worthwhile to understand who their target audience is – to help u.s.a. contextualise Fourth dimension Out'due south alphabetize.
This is where things got a lot more revealing.
Fourth dimension Out after all is a publication whose customer centre says their audiences are primarily 15- to 34-year-olds who have taken 5.2 holidays in the concluding 12 months, get to a live music concert 4.iv times on average each year, and visit a bar 10 times a month.
In a popularity contest among these global youths, how should Singaporeans experience about coming in 31st of nearly exciting cities from around the earth?
It's merely like being told you were ranked 31st in a dazzler competition yous didn't even know y'all entered.
And fifty-fifty if we were the most heady city, would we concenter the about number of tourists, if that is our intention? Lots of readers would likely shudder at that prospect.
Where information technology'southward been pointed out that Singapore's tourism strategy targets the Chinese market, what reach does Fourth dimension Out accept in Beijing and Shanghai and other vast population centres like Chengdu and Tianjin?
Fifty-fifty though city rankings like these take more value for specific demographics of tourists than for resident populations, no doubt Singaporeans will continue to follow these with great involvement.
Where pop sentiment towards how Singapore fares as a country will remain a nebulous quality that is difficult to quantify, perhaps the value these survey have for us is to just prompt debate on what we ourselves think, and properly situate just who did the survey and who it's meant for.
Until then, it might be worth taking these international rankings less seriously, or at least taking them with a pinch of salt.
Unless of form you lot're STB. Then information technology's a good chance to score some tourism promotion for Singapore at a deal cost.
Lin Suling is executive editor of the Commentary section at Channel NewsAsia Digital News.
Source: https://cnalifestyle.channelnewsasia.com/commentary/commentary-singapore-boring-exciting-survey-time-out-214641
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