Monday 20 May 2013

The Singapore Zoo!


Hello Mandy!
I am really glad that you would be coming to visit Singapore very soon, and more importantly, one of the key attractions in Singapore. It's been awhile since i last met you but i am pretty sure that you are still the animal lover i knew! Hence, the attraction that i would recommend you to visit, is none other than the lovely Singapore Zoo! If it wasn't due to time constraint, i would really urge you to visit all the wonderful attractions in Singapore. But not to worry! I would definitely do my best in answering all your questions and also give you all the details that you need.

Before i go into the questions, let me just give you a brief information on the Singapore Zoo. The Singapore Zoo first opened in 1973 and since then have been constantly improving and upgrading its exhibits and facilities. It now has over 2,800 animals from over 300 species of mammals, birds and reptiles! Running for about 40 years, the Singapore Zoo received countless of awards such as the Best Leisure Attraction Experience of the Year which is presented by the Singapore Tourism Board (STB). Not only that, it now also attracts over 1.7 million visitors annually and one of the top attractions in Singapore! Amazing right? Now, let's move on with the questions! 


How will you classify the attraction according to the visitor market?

By classifying the Singapore Zoo according to the visitor market,
the primarily target market would be the families with young children, be it local or tourists, with a mix of equal gender. The age of the children would be from 3-12 years old and age of adult would be over 30 years old. Families with young children generally would want to spend time bonding together as a family and the Singapore Zoo is a great attraction for them to stroll around together and viewing the different animals in the Singapore Zoo.

The secondary target market would be the teenagers, young adults and also animal lovers. Teenagers are usually from 13 years old to 19 years old while young adults are usually from 20 to 29 years old. The teenagers and young adults would visit the Singapore Zoo to seek for edutainment, which means to have education and entertainment at the same time. They also have high purchasing power to go for even more activities such as feeding the animals, and taking photos with the animals. Animal lovers are also one of the target market as the Singapore Zoo is basically full of animals! The animal lovers have huge interests in animals which would draw them to the Singapore Zoo to see the animals and even interact with the animals.

What are the motivating factors that will interest your friend to visit the recommended attraction?
Well Mandy, you might be thinking why i would recommend this attraction to you? What really are the motivators that make Singapore Zoo such a popular attraction? First and for most, the Singapore Zoo is really a good a place for edutainment! People can learn about the animals, nature and as well as the conservation activities that the Singapore Zoo have. Don't you think that have such learning experience in the Singapore Zoo is so much entertaining than sitting in a classroom listening to the teacher, or reading books to gain knowledge of the animals? Learning also becomes much more interesting when there are fun and interesting facts around. I bet you didn't know that over 300 species of animals in the Singapore Zoo, 26% of them are actually threatened to becoming endangered! It's terrible isn't it? You might ask which of the animals are actually threatened? Well, it's for you to find out, and for me to know!

Secondly, the Singapore Zoo has animal shows, such as the Elephants at Work & Play Show and Rainforest Fights Back Show. These two shows actually give us a better understanding about the animals as well as the natural environment and how all the deforestation has affected the wild animals. I bet you didn't know that elephants are actually very flexible animals, right? Elephants are very huge and strong but they could actually balance themselves on a log! Shocking isn't it? I personally benefited and learned more after i watched the show as many of the times we have to see it ourselves to believe it!

Thirdly, Singapore Zoo has guided tram ride where visitors could purchase tickets with unlimited rides and just board on to the tram to have a relaxing and cosy guided tour. The tram has informative audio commentary on the animals and exhibits, and when it reaches a main exhibit, it would stop and allow visitors to walk on foot to see and understand more. I think the tram ride not only provide informative commentaries, but is also another form of transport to go around the Singapore Zoo, instead of walking half a day which gets really tiring.

Lastly, Singapore Zoo allows visitors to have close interactions with the animals, such as token feeding sessions and animal rides. Visitors will have to pay a small amount to get close to the animals and feed them personally. Interestingly, all the proceeds from the token feeding session go to the upkeep of our animals. Hence, such a interaction session will get visitors to be more interested to visit the Singapore Zoo apart from just viewing and animals and exhibits.

                                               



                                                      Three Levels of the Attraction Product
So, the intangible benefits are of course also the edutainment and fun that you will have when you visit the Singapore Zoo. Other tangible benefits are the photos taken of the different animals and also the souvenirs that are available in the retail outlet. 




Describe the unique nature of the attraction as a service product, in the context of your selected attraction. What challenges does this pose for the attraction?
Well firstly, the staff are involved in producing and delivering the product are part of the product itself. From the purchasing of ticket, to the entry and exit of the Singapore Zoo, the staff's behavior, attitudes and appearances will affect the enjoyment and fun in the Singapore Zoo. For example, if the staffs show attitudes even before you enter the Singapore Zoo, your impression of Singapore Zoo would totally change! It will affect your mood for the trip and would no longer enjoy and have fun. On the other hand, if the staffs are friendly and constantly having a big smile on their face, they would make you feel happy and you would then enjoy and have fun for the trip!

Secondly, the customers themselves are involved in the production process. Different customers have different attitudes, expectations and experiences which would shape the product in their own image to some extent. For example, visitors that did not have any interactions with animals may find that it is very special and unique while visitors that have been interacting with animals a lot might just find it simple and boring.

Thirdly, the service product is not standardized. The product is changing all the time reflecting the relationship between the service, deliverer, customer and the resources on which the product is based. For example, animal might be sleeping at a particular timing which did not really allow the visitors to fully view the animal. They might then know lesser about the animal as compared to other visitors who have saw the animal moving  and climbing around.

Fourth, the product is perishable, cannot be stored. For example, Singapore Zoo daily target is to sell 500 entrance tickets. However, entrance tickets that cannot be sold on a particular day cannot be stored and sold on another day instead. Hence many promotions and programs are implemented such as pre-booking, early birds' discounts and last minute purchases.

Fifth, there is no tangible product to carry home. As the core product of Singapore Zoo is edutainment and fun, it is the knowledge and fun that you bring home and not a tangible product. It is impossible to know what edutainment or fun you will have unless you experience it yourself. Hence, at many times, customers would do some research about the attraction to know what they can look out for and also see reviews by other people who have been to the attraction itself. The organisation also creates videos and visual effects to let buyers know what they can expect and this would eventually affect their buying decision.

Lastly, the surroundings of the service delivery process are a feature of the service. For example, in the Singapore Zoo, you would prefer to listen to the nature of the animals instead of having loud music blast all around the Singapore Zoo. 



Share with your friend why you think the attraction has been highly ranked on TripAdvisor. E.g. How has it met the needs of visitors? Has it been successful in promoting itself?
Over the past 40 years of Singapore Zoo, they have been constantly providing good facilities, programs, services to meet the needs and wants of the target market. As mentioned earlier in the three level of attraction product, there are actually different services and facilities such as the F&B outlets, ATM, lost and found services, first aid station and many many more!

For the programs, the Singapore Zoo has come up with events and promotions to keep the visitors from coming back. For example, to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Singapore Zoo, they have come out with special promotions to those who were born in 1973, which is also the opening of the Singapore Zoo. Past events in 2012 also include the CNY celebration - Year of the Dragon and Zoo Hoo! These events are unique and special in Singapore Zoo where you can experience in no other places!

Singapore Zoo has been very successful in promoting itself in terms of using their websites, social media, bus-stop posters and also television commercials. They also allow you to subscribe to their mailing list so that any new updates, events and promotions would be sent via email. Having constant promotions let people know about what's new in the Singapore Zoo and would draw them to come back again.

So have they really been keeping up with competitions and making themselves better? Well of course! For example in the early 2013, there was the opening of the River Safari, where is also located around the area of Singapore Zoo. This impacted the visitorship to the Singapore Zoo as well because they were selling packages that include entrance to both Singapore Zoo and River Safari at a discounted price. It also upgraded itself in the previous few years such as having the water playground and also merry-go-round rides for the children.

Comment on the impact the attraction has on Singapore.
Wow! Unknowingly we have actually reached the final part of your questions! It's none other than the impact Singapore Zoo has on Singapore. Firstly, is the economic impact. Singapore Zoo draws about 1.7 million visitors annually and research shows that 65% of them are locals and 35% of them are tourists. Tourists that come to Singapore to visit the attractions not only generate revenue for the attraction, but also to other things such as hotel accommodation, shopping centres and F&B restaurants. It also creates more job opportunities for the people and also the government earning income through the taxes paid on the item bought. This will eventually increase economy of Singapore.

Secondly, is the environmental impact. Singapore Zoo is a wildlife conservation park which educates people to care more about the natural environment and also the animals. However, Singapore Zoo is man-made for tourism and hence negative environmental impact had taken place for the construction to take place. For example, trees were cleared to build the attraction and roads.

Overall, i would say that Singapore Zoo is a wonderful attraction and it is a must go attraction when visitors come into Singapore. Hence, i also recommend you to visit the Singapore Zoo and let me know about how you think! 


References:
Singapore Zoo (n.d.). Information of singapore zoo. Retrieved from http://www.zoo.com.sg/index.html

Wildlife Reserves , S. (n.d.). Facts of the park. Retrieved from http://www.wrs.com.sg/parks-info-facts.html

Wildlife Reserves , S. (n.d.). Marketing of singapore zoo. Retrieved from http://www.slideshare.net/iNaturally/marketing-singapore-zoo-night-safari

Temasek Polytechnic. (2011). Attractions Managements Lecture 1: Attractions management in Perspective. Singapore: Temasek Polytechnic Leisure and Resort Management Division

Temasek Polytechnic. (2011). Attractions Managements Lecture 2: Attractions as service products. Singapore: Temasek Polytechnic Leisure and Resort Management Division

Temasek Polytechnic. (2011). Attractions Managements Lecture 3: Attractions Demand and Market Segmentation. Singapore: Temasek Polytechnic Leisure and Resort Management Division