I WENT to a wedding dinner recently and met some relatives from overseas. One was from Switzerland and another was from New Zealand.
I was taken aback by the negative things they had heard about Singapore. They were bemused as they knew Singapore was renowned for being a great place to live and visit.
They said taxi drivers had told them these things after they revealed themselves to be visitors.
I acknowledge that citizens of any country do have their gripes. However, I expect taxi drivers to be "mini-ambassadors" of our country, especially when they are ferrying foreign visitors.
Why pour out their grievances to foreign guests and leave them with an unsavoury impression of our country?
Taxi companies should educate their drivers on their role of "selling" Singapore, so more tourists will visit and, hence, bring more business for cabbies.
Perhaps the Singapore Tourism Board should find ways to reward taxi drivers for promoting Singapore. After all, cabbies are usually the first line of contact for tourists when they arrive here.
Henry Low Chuan Hoe
Reward cabbies for 'selling' Singapore
Published on Aug 16, 2014 1:02 AM
I WENT to a wedding dinner recently and met some relatives from
overseas. One was from Switzerland and another was from New Zealand.
I was taken aback by the negative things they had heard about Singapore. They were bemused as they knew Singapore was renowned for being a great place to live and visit.
They said taxi drivers had told them these things after they revealed themselves to be visitors.
I acknowledge that citizens of any country do have their gripes. However, I expect taxi drivers to be "mini-ambassadors" of our country, especially when they are ferrying foreign visitors.
Why pour out their grievances to foreign guests and leave them with an unsavoury impression of our country?
Taxi companies should educate their drivers on their role of "selling" Singapore, so more tourists will visit and, hence, bring more business for cabbies.
Perhaps the Singapore Tourism Board should find ways to reward taxi drivers for promoting Singapore. After all, cabbies are usually the first line of contact for tourists when they arrive here.
Henry Low Chuan Hoe
I was taken aback by the negative things they had heard about Singapore. They were bemused as they knew Singapore was renowned for being a great place to live and visit.
They said taxi drivers had told them these things after they revealed themselves to be visitors.
I acknowledge that citizens of any country do have their gripes. However, I expect taxi drivers to be "mini-ambassadors" of our country, especially when they are ferrying foreign visitors.
Why pour out their grievances to foreign guests and leave them with an unsavoury impression of our country?
Taxi companies should educate their drivers on their role of "selling" Singapore, so more tourists will visit and, hence, bring more business for cabbies.
Perhaps the Singapore Tourism Board should find ways to reward taxi drivers for promoting Singapore. After all, cabbies are usually the first line of contact for tourists when they arrive here.
Henry Low Chuan Hoe
Reward cabbies for 'selling' Singapore
Published on Aug 16, 2014 1:02 AM
I WENT to a wedding dinner recently and met some relatives from
overseas. One was from Switzerland and another was from New Zealand.
I was taken aback by the negative things they had heard about Singapore. They were bemused as they knew Singapore was renowned for being a great place to live and visit.
They said taxi drivers had told them these things after they revealed themselves to be visitors.
I acknowledge that citizens of any country do have their gripes. However, I expect taxi drivers to be "mini-ambassadors" of our country, especially when they are ferrying foreign visitors.
Why pour out their grievances to foreign guests and leave them with an unsavoury impression of our country?
Taxi companies should educate their drivers on their role of "selling" Singapore, so more tourists will visit and, hence, bring more business for cabbies.
Perhaps the Singapore Tourism Board should find ways to reward taxi drivers for promoting Singapore. After all, cabbies are usually the first line of contact for tourists when they arrive here.
Henry Low Chuan Hoe
I was taken aback by the negative things they had heard about Singapore. They were bemused as they knew Singapore was renowned for being a great place to live and visit.
They said taxi drivers had told them these things after they revealed themselves to be visitors.
I acknowledge that citizens of any country do have their gripes. However, I expect taxi drivers to be "mini-ambassadors" of our country, especially when they are ferrying foreign visitors.
Why pour out their grievances to foreign guests and leave them with an unsavoury impression of our country?
Taxi companies should educate their drivers on their role of "selling" Singapore, so more tourists will visit and, hence, bring more business for cabbies.
Perhaps the Singapore Tourism Board should find ways to reward taxi drivers for promoting Singapore. After all, cabbies are usually the first line of contact for tourists when they arrive here.
Henry Low Chuan Hoe
So instead, you want visitors to our country to get into a cab, make a passing/ throwaway remark, and then have the cabby extoll the wonders and virtues of MAGNIFICENT SINGAPORE?
I understand the desire to properly represent Singapore, and I wish that such cabbies would leaven their critique of SG with some concessions as to where and how SG has done well.
BUT, perhaps they do not see such "concessions"? Perhaps all they have seen is depressing and hopeless?
Or maybe they are just curmudgeonly old men who couldn't appreciate good fortune if it shat on them.
Whatever the case, they have a right to express their opinion. I may not agree with their opinion, but they have a right to it. And they have a right to express it.
As for being "mini ambassadors", at which point in the licensing process were they commissioned as such?
You, as a "mini ambassador" for Singapore should have told your overseas friends, "Ah yes. As you can see, in Singapore we respect freedom of speech and freedom of expression. And no we do not clamp down on criticisms of Singapore. Now, did you note the name of the Taxi driver or drivers, or their vehicle registration number?"
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