In this episode, we speak to Keith Tan, Chief Executive Officer, Singapore Tourism Board, on the recovery trends he’s seeing in Singapore, and in Asia.  Here are the key takeaways.   On China's reopening Keith is optimistic about what China holds for its tourism prospects in 2023 although he confessed to being surprised by the somewhat sudden lifting of restrictions. “Initially, we thought China would only open up later in 2023. So anything earlier than that, which is what we're seeing now is a plus for us. So now we're working very closely … to plan for systematic and safe reopening of our borders with China so that we don't get overwhelmed as well”.   Singapore's private sector stepped up Keith is also naturally proud of how jobs were saved through redeploying of roles, how it pivoted to the domestic market and built up a stronger local base, how it had to swing almost overnight from a demand problem (at the height of the pandemic) to a supply problem (a nice problem to have), how major events have returned in force, how investors are pouring in money into the economy, new hotels being built, new attractions being developed.   Investor confidence and soft power Tourism is not just about numbers, it’s about soft power and it’s vital to Singapore’s place in the world. “All those dollars means something, it must mean that somebody who has done their math is very confident in the future prospects of Singapore. And likewise, we see confidence in terms of investors putting in money into creating new concepts, new experiences in Singapore. Surely that speaks for something.”   Applying lessons learned in Singapore's continued recovery Keith believes lessons learnt – new muscles developed, as he puts it, will prove valuable as Singapore plans its way into a future based on three pillars – wellness, sustainability and technology. In this podcast, he shares the agency’s thinking of how it plans to chart the way forward for the remaking of Singapore as a destination. He expresses enthusiasm about new tourism concepts he’s seen on his travels – particularly an attraction in Paris that inspired him and the technology that can be deployed in all aspects of Singapore’s tourism from sustainability tech to metaverse.   Singapore's place in the world “It's not just about visitor arrivals. It's not just about tourism, revenues and tourism spin. It's about our place in the world, our relevance in the world and, at least for domestic audiences, it's also about how we continue to build a livable and lovable country for our people.” Have a listen.