My recommendation Of Singapore Zoo during your visit

Hi Kris! How is Australia? I'm really excited for your arrival in Singapore! I went to review some of the attractions that you listed and would like to recommend you to visit Singapore Zoo! Singapore Zoo is located within Singapore's heavily forested central catchment area and is my favourite attraction. It never fails to impress me even though I visited there for umpteen times as it is often updated with new habitats. If only I had time to go to with you,but not to worry as I will tell you why I recommend Singapore Zoo as a must go when you come to Singapore!!

Me and short Joel at the Singapore Zoo! 

Singapore Zoo is currently celebrating it's 40th birthday. According to their website,Singapore Zoo has been known to have among the most beautiful wildlife park settings in the world, where animals roam freely in open and natural habitats. The park is home to over 2,800 animals representing over 300 species. It is Singapore’s premier leisure venue that attractions over 1.7 million visitors annually!

1) Motivating Factors
Here are some of the products Singapore Zoo can offer to you :

Core product
Education,fun & excitement
Tangible products
Brochures, tickets and souvenirs, Signboards, Restaurants
Augmented products
Opening hours,weather, animal statues 

A monkey almost licked my hand!

What the attraction can offer to you is the animals from all over the world and educational information of them. The zoo has different "regions" for example,Wild Africa and Australian Outback. Singapore Zoo has a wide spread of educational programs for both local and overseas students.(yay for you!) As a student studying tourism, I'm sure that a visit to the Singapore Zoo will expand your knowledge about attractions. What I love about this Zoo is the excitement you get from for example, seeing small animals that actually run freely within the Zoo! I remember us talking about how cruel some zoos are to the poor animals for caging them. Animals are also not caged here and I believe that it is a paradise for them in this replicated natural environment. 

Me outside a souvenir shop located outside the Rainforest Fights Back Show

Some of the tangible products of the Zoo are brochures,tickets and souvenirs. There are lots of gift shops in the zoo where you can buy souvenirs to bring home.The opening hours is fine and you can go early since they have lots of activities going on once it opens. Zoo opens at 8.30am in the morning all the way till 6pm. I feel that the opening hours is fine. They have quite a wide range of F&B outlets,including their very own Ah Meng Kopi and Ah Meng Restaurant where you can enjoy local favourites like Chicken Rice and Ice Kachang which I think you'll enjoy. Their outdoor toilets are also groovy and matches the theme of the area! On average,the weather there is good but wearing a cap there would be recommended.  Rain is rare but if it does rain, you can still take a ride on the tram.

2) Visitor Market
I learnt from my module, Attraction Management that the Visitors of Singapore Zoo can be classified under different variables. After my trip and some research, I found out that the Zoo has an attractive target audience.

Age
When I visited, there was a group of elderly sitting on wheel chairs and they got around with the help of adults wearing a blue shirt. I learned from one of the lady that they are volunteers for a private organisation and they conducted a trip to the Zoo. There were also big groups of students,probably from secondary school. Families came with their babies,even tourist so i will identify the age group as 1-70 years old.

Stages in the family life cycle
Mainly families with young children will visit the zoo. The facilities provided in the Zoo caters to young children well and they have a wide range of programs for parents and kids. To make it more convenient for families with young children to move around, Singapore Zoo actually provides Wagons and Strollers. Parents will definitely bring their children for family bonding as well.

Means of transportation
As Singapore Zoo is located in Mandai, most visitors will get to the Singapore Zoo by Car,the bus or shuttle buses that is provided by The Singapore Attractions Express Service (ASEAX). It is easier to take a bus from MRT stations like Ang Mo Kio but it will take you around 45Minutes. However,if you are coming from the airport, I suggest you take a taxi but it will cost about $25. Shuttle buses are available at places like Orchard Road and Suntec! It will cost around $5. ASEAX also provides daily passes that ranges from 6.50 for children to $13 for adults.

3) The unique nature of the attraction

A Staff educating the audience about Monkeys 

The staff involved in producing and delivering the product are part of the product itself. The staff in Singapore Zoo maintains a fun but professional look. I believe that Singapore Zoo has strengthened it's product offering through it's staff. For example, the staff working at the shows are highly trained and fun-loving. They are also able to engage the audience. However,some of the difficulties is that the Zoo cannot control the behaviour or attitudes of the staff. A staff can deliver the product wrongly,if lets say,they are having a bad day. I remember when I was buying ice-cream from one of the shops and the staff was rude to me as I took time to find my wallet.

The customers themselves are involved in the production process. Based on the visitors, their own expectations affects how they receive the product. The product can be different to different visitors, for example, to a 8 year old child to a 40 year old adult. Singapore Zoo has interactive shows that involves the audience with the animals. I was affected by some audiences during my visit. During one of the shows, the host invited some children down to engage them with the animals. However, more parents starting sending down their own children and the host had to continue the show while keeping the children around. I felt that the audiences that day were too inconsiderate as they dragged the show as the host had to usher the children back. However, it cannot be controlled so the staffs must really know how to handle such situations. 

The service product is not standardized. The production process can keep changing with customers directly involved. For example, Singapore Zoo can be affected by the weather and attitude of the staff. As the Zoo is a open area, customers will have to buy ponchos if it rains. The crowd during the shows also plays a important part in the service product as it affects the ambience of that area.

The product is perishable,cannot be stored. Zoo tickets can be purchased online or on the spot. All tickets from the Zoo can only be kept for a short period of time. This can be a problem to Singapore Zoo as the demand of tickets can be seasonal. Careful planning must be managed well. For example,when a new habitats open or during school holidays, it is predictable that more visitors will come.

There is no tangible product to carry home. "Moment-of-truth" is important.Service products cannot be inspected,exchanged or refunded. Service providers cannot redeliver services. In order for customers to make purchasing decisions, good Public Relation service is needed and also good word-of-mouth. Visitors will also go online to read reviews from websites such as TripAdvisor. 

A tired looking bear from the viewing room

The surroundings of the service delivery process are a feature of the service. The layout of the Singapore Zoo can facilitate human traffic flow. There is enough space for visitors to walk and at the same time for the trams to move around. As mentioned a few of times, I like how the Zoo replicates the natural environment to make us feel like we're amongst the animals. They also provide visitors with the best views of animals. For example,they have viewing rooms for lions and bears, separating the magnificent animals with just a glass panel.

However,some of the challenge of this could be that during peak periods, the amount of cleaners may not be enough and this may affect the aesthetic look of Singapore Zoo.

4) Why i think that Singapore Zoo is highly ranked 
Singapore Zoo is much bigger compared to other Zoos and it has plenty of interactive shows to offer to the young and old such as the Elephants at Work & Play Show and Rainforest Fights Back Show. There are two different timings in case you miss one so don't worry if you take your time touring around the Zoo. My favourite show is the Elephants one as the elephants never fail to impress me with their telepathy with their trainers! I realized that they also raise awareness of the animals during each shows,which is a edutainment factor. Make sure to carry a map around even though there are sign boards placed around in the Zoo for your convenience! 

Some kids plying at Rainforest Kidzworld

Firstly,I believe that Singapore Zoo has successfully met the needs of it's target market like families with young children. Other than the fact that it has it's very own Rainforest Kidzworld,they have services and programmes catered to different markets. For example,the Jungle Breakfast with Wildlife. Not only can they take photos with the apes,they also get to enjoy the important meal of the day with their children with the Orang Utans. Families are welcomed and Children are given a discounted rate to enjoy this program. 

Life saving in case anyone falls into the water?

Families renting strollers

Singapore Zoo provides wagons and strollers for toddlers to allow easy movement. They also provide wheelchairs for disabled or elderlies with walking difficulties and it's free of charge. I like how sensitive they are,for example, with disabled friendly services. I learned from the staff that people who hold the Disability Development Registry (DDR) card can have free admission. There are also ramps and viewing areas for disabled guests at various exhibits and shows. They generally have good facilities for the safety needs of people.


Next, Singapore Zoo provides educational tours for visitors who are looking for education within the attraction.What I think is unique is the interactive shows it has. I like the "edutainment" factor the Zoo brings us- for example the "Rainforest Fights Back" show. It entertains the audience with the animals and at the same time raise awareness on animals losing their homes due to cutting of trees for land development. Well I'll leave the rest of the show for you to find out,I'm sure you'll love it!!! 

Leopard cat! It looks lonely though

Feeding a Goat

Lastly,The Singapore Zoo uses natural barriers other than cages or barriers which in a way makes us feel like we're amongst the animals but we are completely safe. I believe that we cannot find this anywhere else in Singapore. They also allow us to feed animals due to the layout of the Zoo. Some are for free!Singapore Zoo keeps themselves updated with new habitats which makes them more competitive. Frozen Tundra will be opened when you arrive in June! It is a new home for Singapore Zoo's polar bear. I will definitely go back again to join the activities provided. Frozen Tundra will be having activities like guided walkthroughs and ice sculpture demonstrations.


Singapore Zoo has been successfully promoting itself through tools such as social media. They have their own website, Facebook page and twitter account. I follow one of their twitter accounts too! Many blogs also writes about Singapore Zoo and I believe that word-of-mouth has helped promote itself. Parents will definitely recommend Singapore Zoo to their friends.

Here is one of their corporate videos that is available on their website:

credits: http://www.wrs.com.sg/pressroom-videos.html

5) The impact of Singapore Zoo on Singapore

Environmental Impact

I believe that the Singapore Zoo has successfully reinforced values and attitudes towards conservation of nature as they have several displays that raise awareness on animals,for example,encouraging people to stop buying leather to prevent crocodiles from being killed for their skin. Locals will also have a stronger idea of their role in environmental problems.

Economic impact

Singapore Zoo has definitely brought economical benefits into my Singapore as well. For example,when tourist visit the Zoo,there will be a multiplier effect. Not only will they be spending on their lodging and tickets,they will also spend on shopping. Since visiting Singapore Zoo will take them about a day, they will stay longer to explore more of Singapore and maybe visit other attractions. Singapore has lots of attractions and Singapore Zoo is one of the major attractions that will draw significant foreign currencies. Another factor is that Singapore Zoo has created alot of jobs as they have quite a big number of retail and F&B outlets.

Social-cultural impact
Visitors in Singapore Zoo can have cultural exchanges as tourist and locals will come into contact with each other. However,one of the negative impact is that large crowds can  ruin the atmosphere and sense of space and peace although the Singapore zoo is rather large. For example, a big crowd of Singaporeans speaking "Singlish" can ruin tourists image of Singaporeans.

I hope that you got to understand more about Singapore Zoo through my review! See you soon!

References

Warwick Frist (2011). Zoos and tourism: conservation, education, entertainment? Great Britain : Short Run Press Ltd 

Wildlife Reserves Singapore. About the parks. Retrieved May 20,2013 fromhttp://www.wrs.com.sg/parks-info-about-parks.html

Singapore Zoo (2013). Chill out at frozen tundra during the June holidays with Inuka and Friends. Retrieved May 20, 2013 from http://wrscomsg.wordpress.com/2013/05/15/chill-out-at-frozen-tundra-during-the-june-holidays-with-inuka-and-friends/

Singapore Zoo. Traveller reviews Retrieved May 21, 2013 from http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g294265-d324542-r127660511-Singapore_Zoo-Singapore.html

Temasek Polytechnic (2013). Attractions Management Lecture 1 Attractions Management in Perspective, Lecture 2 Attractions as Service Product, Lecture 3 Attractions Demand & Market Segmentation. Singapore: Temasek Polytechnic Leisure and Resort Management Division.