Do you remember the last time you visited a zoo? If it’s been ages
since you last visited one, then I definitely recommend you to visit The
Singapore Zoo.
Location
It is located at 80 Mandai Lake road and there are many ways you
can get there. Either by MRT, public buses or using the direct bus services
which picks you up at areas such as Orchard Road and Little India. Lastly, you
can also take a taxi.
Operating Hours
The zoo is open daily from 8.30am to 6.00pm and admission tickets
to the zoo are $22 for adults and $14 for kids, aged 3 to 12 years old.
The ticketing booths are located next to the entrance of the zoo where
you can find some dining outlets and convenience store, such as KFC, Ben and
Jerry's Ice cream, Ah Meng kopi and Cheers.
Don't forget to get a map from the ticketing counter, as it will be
easier to plan your route around the park and not miss any of the animals. Due
to Singapore's unpredictable weather, bring along an umbrella or poncho so that
you can still get around the park when it rains.
The zoo is a
wheelchair-friendly place as the park consists mainly of ramps and pavements. Visitors
can also loan wheelchairs free of charge at the park entrance. Tram services
are also available for those who prefer a more relaxed tour.
(a) The target market of The Singapore Zoo would be families with
children aged 3 to 12 years old. This is so as the zoo has many family and
children facilities.
There is a Rainforest Kidsworld which consists of a wet
play area where children can play with the water facilities and have fun with their
parents.
In addition, there is a Wild animal carousel and also services for
children to ride on horses and horse carriages.
The Zoo also has a number of
facilities such as diaper changing and nursing rooms. For families with young
children, they can rent strollers and wagons to get around the park.
These
families would be in the establishment stage of the family life cycle, where parents
focus their attention on their kids and usually have less leisure time for
themselves, thus they would go to places where they can spend more family time
together.
They usually visit in the morning around 9am and spend the whole day
in the zoo until closing time, around 6 pm, therefore, they are day visitors
who return to their hotel or back home and do not stay for overnight at the
zoo.
(b) The core products of the zoo are fun, exploration, education
and adventure. The zoo is a fun place for learning, the animals are fascinating
and there are many interesting information about the animal's origin and behaviour.
There are also signboards for you to read and know more about each animal.
Next, the tangible products are the souvenirs that you can buy, such as animal
key rings, apparels and soft toys. Photo taking services are available, where
you can take pictures with animals such as Orang Utans and elephants. There are
also feeding sessions, where you can feed them and get up close with some
animals like giraffes and rhinoceroses.
The augmented products in the zoo are the rainforest atmosphere,
food and beverage outlets and The zoo is adorned with flora and fauna to give a
more tropical rainforest look .Additionally, there are dining outlets in the
zoo like Ah Meng Kopi, Ben & Jerry's Scoop Shop and KFC for visitors to
have a break.
The benefits that you can enjoy, while visiting the zoo is to gain
more knowledge about the different animals there and be more aware of animal
poaching and ways to help the animals who face extinction.
(c) The unique nature of the Singapore Zoo is firstly, the staff
who is involved in producing and delivering the product are part of the product
itself. The staff in the zoo are a group of friendly, helpful and approachable
people that would assist you if you encounter any difficulties. One example is,
if they have a bad attitude towards the visitors, it would leave the visitors
with a bad experience and they may not return again. Thus, the staff plays an
important role and they have to be trained to provide good customer service.
Secondly,
the visitors themselves are part of the production process. The visitors will
customize the product according to their attitudes, expectations and
experiences. For example, some visitors
may find the tram services useless as they would prefer to explore the park on
their own than have a guided tour. Hence, visitors have to understand the
production process so that they can have a better experience.
Thirdly, the service product is not standardized, the product is
changing all the time and this affects the quality. Compared to days where it
is raining, visitors tend to have a more enjoyable time at the zoo when it is
sunny, as they can move around the park easily. Staff attitude is also another
reason. Staff reacts to visitors differently, if they are having a bad day,
they may treat visitors in a rude way and this will lead to the visitor
developing a bad impression of the staff in the zoo.
Next, the product is perishable, and cannot be stored, for
instance, tickets. Every day, there is an amount of tickets that need to be
sold for the day, if there are fewer visitors on a particular day, then the zoo
will lose some revenue to be earned for the day. Therefore, the zoo has to use discounts
and promotions to sell the tickets for the day to reduce the loss.
Another unique nature is that there is no tangible product to carry
home. One example would be the animal shows. Visitors who watch the show cannot
inspect the performance before purchasing the tickets and there are no refunds
if the experience is not satisfactory. Therefore, The animal shows have to be
carried out perfectly or visitors would not enjoy the performances.
Lastly, the surroundings of the service delivery process are a
feature of the service.
The zoo has a rainforest theme, giving a tropical atmosphere. The
layout of the zoo has big pathways for trams and visitors to walk, there are
also direction signs for visitors to know where they want to go next. The
surroundings play an important role as it gives visitors a better experience
when the service is delivered, if the surroundings are not appealing, the
visitors will doubt if the service is up to standard.
(d) Why is the zoo ranked as number #1 for Zoos and aquariums on
TripAdvisor? The main reason would be that it is the only zoo in Singapore and the
animals there are kept in open enclosures that are separated by a moat, where
visitors can view them roaming freely and not kept in cages. Designed similarly
to the environment in their natural habitat, it adds a more tropical feel to
the whole park. There are animal shows where visitors can see exciting performances
of animals such as Elephants, sea lions and monkeys.
The zoo competes with
other popular attractions such as the Jurong Bird Park and the recently opened
S.E.A aquarium. It is ranked first probably due to the wider variety of animals
where visitors can interact and get up close with. The Singapore Zoo also has
the Night Safari and the latest, River Safari. Therefore,with new facilities
and programs, people would be more attracted to visit.
The zoo has been successful in promoting itself as there are still
a lot tourists and locals visiting. They also have events to attract more locals
to the zoo. One example is the Singapore Zoo 40th Birthday promotion, where
locals and permanent residents born in 1973 can enjoy 40% off admission tickets
when they visit during their birthday month. Local visitors who visit the zoo
on their birthday can also enjoy free admission and 10% off retail and dining outlets,
as well as complimentary ice cream. These promotions help attract more people
to visit the zoo.
(e) What economic impacts does the zoo have? The zoo attracts
mostly tourists and this brings about an increase in tourism receipts. This
draws foreign currencies into Singapore, as these tourists who visit the zoo, spend
money to purchase tickets, souvenirs and other services. Furthermore, it
creates a multiplier effect where the revenue earned from visitors are used to
pay employees and they use the wages to pay for their daily expenses.
The
government also collects taxes from the zoo, due to the taxation of goods and
services sold to visitors.
For environmental impacts, the zoo takes up a large amount of land
to house the animals. Building enclosures, roads, pavements, and the different
facilities needed in the park, will lead to the destruction of the natural
environment. Air pollution may also occur due to the gas emissions from tram
services and vehicles that drive into the zoo.
In addition, some visitors tend
to litter in the zoo, which can lead to both land and water pollution.
The socio-cultural impacts are that the zoo attracts a significant
amount of people, which causes the zoo to be quite crowded at times.
Visitors
may need to queue in long lines to purchase tickets, as well as during animal
shows, where the seats may not be enough to accommodate the large number of
visitors.
This causes stress and affects their mood, causing them to have a less
fun and fulfilling trip. Furthermore, having a zoo creates more job opportunities
for locals, to work in the zoo's retail outlets, F&B facilities and park
operations.
Therefore, there are both positive and negative socio-cultural
impacts the zoo has on Singapore.
Here are some pictures of my trip there.
References:
TripAdvisor: http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g294265-d324542-Reviews-Singapore_Zoo-Singapore.html
Singapore Zoo: http://www.zoo.com.sg
Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singapore_Zoo
Lecture Notes
Temasek Polytechnic. (2011). Attractions Management Lecture1: Atttractions Management in Perspective
Lecture 2:Attractions as Service Products. Lecture 3:Attractions Demand and Market Segmentation. Singapore: Temasek Polytechnic Leisure and Resort Management Division.
