Ms Ong Huey Hong, Assistant Chief Executive, Industry Development Group, Singapore Tourism Board,
Mr Fu Chuan Chong, Director of School of Hospitality, Republic Polytechnic,
Ms Tan Siew Kim, Director of School of Business, Temasek Polytechnic,
Mr Kung Teong Wah, Cluster General Manager for PARKROYAL COLLECTION Pickering and PARKROYAL on Beach Road,
Distinguished guests,
Ladies and gentlemen,
1.A very good morning to each and every one of you. It is a privilege and pleasure to be back here at this year’s Singapore Hospitality and Tourism Conference.
“Reimagining Tourism & Hospitality in the Experience Economy (AI + Human Touch)”
2.This year’s theme, “Reimagining Tourism and Hospitality in the Experience Economy – AI and Human Touch” speaks to something I believe many of us in this room feel very deeply about. In the tourism and hospitality industry, the advent of artificial intelligence is reshaping the ways that travellers discover, book, and experience our destinations.
3.Yet, the more AI evolves, the clearer it becomes that what guests ultimately seek has not changed at all. Guests want to feel welcomed; they want to feel understood; they want to feel cared for. And so, hospitality very much remains, at its heart an experience economy. Thus, our challenge and opportunity is to use technology to take care of routine tasks, so that people can focus on what matters most: creating the moments that truly matter to guests. As Siew Kim mentioned earlier, AI may raise the floor, but it is truly the human connections that will raise the ceiling for guest experiences.
Weaving AI into Education
4.Let me begin by sharing about the work happening across our institutions. Preparing students for an industry undergoing rapid transformation is no small feat; it requires a genuine rethinking of what it means to be ready for the workforce. In the age of AI, this has become both more difficult and more important, as our institutions must prepare students not only for today’s jobs, but also for the occupations, the opportunities and the ways of working that are still emerging today.
5.Deliberate steps have been taken towards weaving AI into each student’s learning journey. Through institution-wide curriculum reviews, new courses, and educator training, our institutions aim to equip students to use AI effectively, critically, and most importantly, responsibly. Students also learn to apply AI within the context of their industry, so that they too can bring these capabilities to the workplace.
6.A good example of this is the Specialist Diploma in Hotel Operations and Digitalisation which Nanyang Polytechnic will be launching. Students will learn to leverage AI and data analytical tools to forecast demand, to identify opportunities, and also to support businesses in continuity planning. They will be taught to apply these skills directly to designing practical hotel solutions that improve operations and more importantly the guest experiences. In this way, students also would develop AI skills through real hospitality use cases and then learn how to apply them directly in their future roles.
7.Beyond AI literacy, it is the human qualities which have always defined great hospitality. Qualities such as critical thinking, creativity, and a sense of empathy are becoming even more important in the age of AI and it will be what will set our graduates apart.
8.At Ngee Ann Polytechnic, students in the Tourism and Resort Management course design budget carrier business models using generative AI and are required to document their own reasoning and critique AI’s output. It is their curiosity and creativity that drives the inquiry, and it is their judgement that will determine what is worth keeping. This ensures that they learn not only to use these tools, but how to bring genuine human value to bear on what AI produces.
9.What unites these efforts is a simple but important principle: AI should amplify learning and not replace it. Our students learn to evaluate what AI produces, distinguish fact from fiction, decide what is worth keeping, and then also know when to question or when to challenge an output from AI. Most importantly, they must recognise that while AI can inform their decisions, it cannot replace human judgement. It is ultimately the people who must weigh the context, the values, the ethics, and the consequences, and also take responsibility for the choices they make.
Where Education Meets Industry
10.None of this work in the classroom happens in isolation, and we also have our industry partners to thank for the partnership and richness of what our students are experiencing today. I am heartened to see collaborations between institutions and partners coming to fruition.
11.One such collaboration is between Republic Polytechnic, Pullman Singapore, and Crowne Plaza Changi Airport, where students explore the use of voice AI concierge systems and RFID-enabled housekeeping in day-to-day hotel operations.
12.To our industry partners: when you open your doors to a student project or take time to share your expertise in a classroom, what you are doing is truly something that no curriculum can replicate. You are giving our students exposure to real-world challenges, where they can apply and sharpen their skills, and see how classroom learning translates into real-world impact.
13.And so, I want to applaud every organisation that has chosen to invest in our students and urge you to continue to deepen these collaborations, to continue to bring real-world challenges into our classrooms, and to work with our educational institutions to ensure what our students learn reflects truly what the industry will need tomorrow. In this way, you are not only supporting education, but you are also helping mould the future of Singapore’s hospitality and tourism sector.
Human Touch Remains At The Centre
14.To the students and the recent graduates here today, as you step into an industry that is evolving with technological changes, it is worth remembering what lies at its core in terms of hospitality. It is the human connection. It is what you bring to the human experience between you and person that you are providing service towards, the visitors coming to experience Singaporean hospitality.
15.Across every initiative I have mentioned, the technology is in service of the person, and never the other way around. The domain knowledge you are building encompasses designing seamless experiences, understanding and anticipating people’s needs, as well as connecting across cultures and backgrounds. That is what hospitality is about. These remain foundational and at the heart of your industry.
16.You are also entering an industry that is at a very exciting crossroads for the future. These skills you are developing; a sense of curiosity towards others, a sensitivity to their needs, a cultural awareness of different people and their backgrounds, as well as the ability to work thoughtfully alongside AI – these are skills that will serve you well in whatever career pathway you choose in hospitality and tourism, and they will provide you a strong foundation for growth in this industry.
17.Even as the industry continues to evolve over time - and I am sure that it will -it is your ability to keep learning and growing that will matter most. I encourage you to see education and learning not as something that ends at graduation from the classroom, but as an ongoing journey and endeavour throughout your careers and life ahead.
Conclusion
18.To conclude, what will always set the hospitality and tourism industry apart is you, the people behind it, as well as your sense of curiosity, your sense of creativity, the empathy you bring to your work, and the genuine commitment to making every guest feel truly looked after. These are qualities that no technology can automate or replace, and they are what give the tourism and hospitality industry its heart.
19.So, as you go forward, I encourage you to embrace the tools that can augment what you do but never lose sight of what makes you human. Keep growing, keep learning and keep that spirit of warm, generous hospitality at the centre of everything that you do. That is also what makes Singapore’s hospitality and tourism industry truly extraordinary, and I have every confidence that you will carry it forward with distinction.
20.I wish each and every one of you a productive and fruitful conference.
21.Thank you.