Singapore tourist guides adapt as AI and social media reshape visitor exploration

Singapore's tourist guides are navigating a significant shift in how visitors explore the city-state. Traditional coach tours are giving way to personalized experiences as travelers increasingly rely on social media and AI for itinerary planning.

Veteran guide Jack Zhao, who has lived in Singapore for 30 years, has largely transitioned to private tours focusing on niche interests like culture, food, and heritage. "We cannot use the old methods … It's difficult to survive," Zhao told CNA, reflecting the industry's need to adapt to changing consumer behavior.

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Now we have to change because … consumers' behaviour (has) changed. We cannot use the old methods … It's difficult to survive.

The Society of Tourist Guides Singapore reports that about half of the 4,000 licensed guides receive regular assignments. President Wyman Poon shared anecdotal evidence of sharp drops in bookings, with one English-speaking guide experiencing a 70% decrease in June and a Mandarin-speaking guide reporting an 80% drop. "The main challenge is that now, because the traditional package tours are on the downside, many of them do not have enough jobs to go around,” Poon said.

However, Poon cautioned that AI is not the sole cause. He pointed to broader economic uncertainty, geopolitical tensions, and a general decline in demand for package tours as contributing factors to the reduced assignments. Despite these challenges, guides like Zhao are focusing on offering unique, human-led experiences that AI cannot replicate.

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The main challenge is that now, because the traditional package tours are on the downside, many of them do not have enough jobs to go around. So, they have to resort to their own social media and their own personal experience and the natural market to market themselves.