Who says Singapore
is boring?
Certainly not Madam Jean Wang (above, in sunglasses). The 57-year-old
has been a tour guide here since 1979.
In that time she has been to the Singapore Botanic Gardens, crossed the
Elgin Bridge and visited the Merlion more than a thousand times each, and she
claims she never gets bored of visiting these icons.
She does tours in both English and Spanish. Madam Wang says: "Even
though I have been telling the same story of how Singapore was founded, it is
never the same experience because I tell it to different people."
One of Madam Wang's main challenges is to present the Little Red Dot in
a nutshell.
There's a lot to tell, and sometimes, four hours (the average duration
of a tour) simply isn't enough - especially when groups linger a little too
long at one spot.
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And when a group is behind schedule - things can get a little chaotic.
"I then have to suggest that we just drive past some of the
locations," she says with a wry smile.
While the decision to bypass the spots still resides with the people in
the tour group, she does sometimes sway decisions by cautioning them about the
hot weather.
This usually works in deterring them from wanting to get off the bus,
she says.
Over the years, Madam Wang has found tourists' interests have changed.
"With globalisation, today's tourists are more interested to know
about our lifestyle, statistics on our population and wages of our people, more
than our history," says Madam Wang.
She has also noticed the change in the demographic of those who signs
up for tours.
While she used to take large groups of various ages, these days she
finds they are much older and groups are smaller too.
She puts this down to how the island has changed as a destination.
"Singapore used to be a grand destination. People would travel
just to see Singapore. Today, we are often part of a travel itinerary to other
places," says Madam Wang.
Holding a tour group's interest can be difficult. She can find it hard
to carry out her tour commentaries when people are more keen to soak in the
sights and take photos than listen to the history of an area.
"I find I have to repeat myself or the story would be out of
sync," says Madam Wang.
Having conducted thousands of tours since she started 33 years ago,
Madam Wang is often asked, "What is there to see in Singapore?"
Plenty, she replies.
As part of the celebration of International Tourist Guide Day 2012 -
which was yesterday - Madam Wang spearheaded a project, which involved 59 of
her peers, to conduct free walking tours for both locals and tourists,
exploring the history and stories behind Cathay Building, Fort Canning and The
Istana.
She notes that though they are in the same area, there's so much
information that it can be split into three tours - evidence, she says, that
Singapore has plenty to offer.
If you thought that being a tour guide was simply a case of pointing
out local sites, think again.
Once a couple - under the impression that Singapore had plenty of
beaches since it was billed as a "tropical island" - requested for
her to arrange a beach picnic for them.
She had to scramble to book a water-taxi and buy a picnic basket of
food from a hotel before taking the couple to Sisters' Island.
In some cases, she has to take her charges to the airport.
But if it happens that the flight is overbooked, she can find herself
being a mediator. Tourists expect her to get them on the flight, so much so
they end up screaming in her face.
She says: "The passengers look to me to solve the problem. The
airline staff look to me to explain to the passengers why they can't get
on."
"I'll be asking myself why am I standing here at midnight, losing
my sleep and getting screamed at," she laughs.
Despite being a veteran in the industry, Madam Wang, who is also the
chairman of the Society of Tourist Guides (Singapore), says she still needs to
do her homework before every tour.
This is to ensure that she's on top of her game - young people, for
example, always ask her about the latest and hottest nightspots.
It is also part of Madam Wang's job to alert her tour group on what is
considered an offence in Singapore.
She recalls having to tell a group of tourists in Spanish that it is an
offence not to flush the toilets after use.
The tourists burst into laughter.
"They asked me why people don't flush the toilets here," says
Madam Wang.
1.
Always carry an umbrella with you. Not only will it protect you from
the sun, but holding up your umbrella will also allow members of your tour
group to spot you from afar.
2.
Stay up to date on statistics about your country and verify the facts.
3.
Always put on a smile and do not argue with the tourists.
4. Learn to read body language. When they whip out the cameras, it's a
sign the tourists aren't interested in listening to your stories.
Joyce Lim
The New Paper
AsiaOne
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