Meet Singapore Tour Guide, Stanley Foo

Meet Singapore Travel Massive member Stanley Foo, founder of Oriental Travel and Tours, a DMC in Singapore that has created new tours that are frequently featured in newspapers, magazines and on TV.

Stanley is an avid traveller and licensed tour guide. He founded his award winning tour company, Oriental Travel and Tours in 2017 to offer unique tours for travellers in Singapore. 

How did you get into travel?

I have always enjoyed exploring different countries and learning about different cultures.

Before I got involved in the tourism industry, my business required me to travel all around the world. I was doing between 15 and 30 trips a year!

What tourism problem are you solving?

There are so many things to do in Singapore, however many visitors believe that three days is more than enough.

I want to change this perception by offering more unique tour itineraries in Singapore, so that visitors will want to stay longer.

For example, I recently curated the first Paranormal Tour in Singapore incorporating the history of World War II with paranormal stories, so that even at night there are tours to enjoy.

How did the Covid-19 crisis affect you?

My business was doing very well in the first two months of 2020 and I was looking forward to a good year ahead, when COVID-19 suddenly caught me by surprise.

In March, COVID-19 cases in Singapore increased and that led to the government imposing a 14-day quarantine period on all visitors which indirectly stopped tourism in the country.

I received more than 20 tour cancellations from our various overseas partners and that included a MICE group with 500 participants. I suffered losses but there was nothing I could do.

At the time of writing (July, 2020), Singapore’s borders are currently still closed and there is no indication as of when tourists will be allowed to enter once again without the need for quarantine.

How did you get stranded in Berlin?

I was supposed to be exhibiting at ITB Berlin in March, but the show was cancelled at the last minute and I ended up being stranded in Berlin like many other attendees and exhibitors.

I met some helpful members of Travel Massive through the Stranded in Berlin website (set up by members of the community) , and they invited me to attend different events that were organised by the community.

I would not know about these initiatives if not for the Travel Massive members whom I met in Berlin!

Are you optimistic about the travel recovery?

I am very optimistic about the recovery!

During this downtime, I am taking the opportunity to create new tour itineraries and to prepare for the recovery of tourism in Singapore. I am also preparing for all the logistical needs of potential requirements for tour operations (ie: social distancing, provision of face masks).

I believe many people simply can’t wait to start travelling again, whether is it for work or vacation.

Thanks, Stanley, for sharing your story with us!

Follow Stanley Foo on Travel Massive to connect with him and learn more.