29th January 2020
Dear Ministers,
I am taking this opportunity to wish
you and your family a “Happy & Prosperous Lunar New Year 2020.”.
I am encouraged that DPM Heng Swee
Keat has announced that he and his 4 G leaders are keen to work with our
citizens on policy making. This will encourage active citizenry to develop and
grow.
The world today is uncertain – what
with terrorism, climate change and the threat of deadly viruses striking and
spreading rapidly – at any time.
With the recent Wuhan virus from
China affecting many people in China – and now having made its way into
Singapore, we need to be proactive and think of ways to allow our people to have
peace of mind.
Experts
have predicted that more new flu viruses are set to make their way into this
globalised world. That said, we cannot be living in fear all the time. Life has
to go on.
In
its long-term planning, I propose that the Singapore Government in partnership
with entrepreneurs or businessmen build a budget hotel and hostel at Changi
Airport for a dual purpose. This can be
a pilot project.
Allow
me to explain.
The proposed budget
hotel/hostels can be managed by businessmen/entrepreneurs with collaborations with the hospitality industry,
VWOs and healthcare professionals.
During periods when there is
no outbreak of viruses, the hotel/hostels can be rented out to tourists or
anyone travelling – either out of Singapore or visiting our Lion City. Travellers may want to rest and spend one or
two nights before departing or visiting Singapore. If the prices at these places
are affordable, the take-up rate will be good. Our national airlines carrier –
SIA, can help promote these resting places to passengers on their flights. Boils
down to good sales and marketing skills.
There may be concerns that
the hotels near the airport could lose business, so it can be made necessary
that the stay at either the hostel or budget hotel must only be used for one or
two days.
When there is an outbreak of
viruses, all checks can be done at these venues – before the travellers enter
Singapore. They can be screened and quarantined here – and if they are found to
be infected, they can be immediately sent to our hospitals. As the symptoms of the Wuhan virus may not
show up until one week, that is the period when travellers from affected
countries could be quarantined.
Bear in mind that diplomatic
rows can surface if we bar anyone from entering Singapore.
Viruses can spread like wild
fire so it’s best to prevent virus carriers from going past the airport or any
other check point.
Additionally, there is no issue
of the hotel/hostel becoming a white elephant if good marketing strategies from
the Singapore Tourism Board are applied.
After some time, visits to
Jewel will be reduced, so one way to keep this venue ‘alive’ is for the budget
hotel/hostel to have brochures or promotional material to entice the traveller to
patronise Jewel and the duty-free shops.
Initially, the construction of the budget
hotel/hostels will not make money – but over a period of time with good sales
tactics, it can break even – and even make money.
Every investment has risk, but if we do not
take risks, we will never know, would we?
Take heed of what the late Winston Churchill, former
Prime Minister of UK once said, “The pessimist sees the difficulty in every
opportunity. The optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.”
These venues when thoroughly
disinfected during quarantine periods can be a revenue earner to boost our
economy.
We can’t afford to let
infections spread given the bed crunch in our public hospitals and to be
mindful that our healthcare workers are at risks of getting infected and even
losing their lives. Remember the 2003
SARS –that brought scars.
There is also the concern
that our economy will take a beating when epidemics take control of our lives
and when we tend to become so fearful that we find it so hard to function.
I
would appreciate a reply and if it takes a while to study my proposal, an
interim response would be good.
Thank
you and have a nice day!
Sincerely,
Raymond
Anthony Fernando
