15-8-2024 (SINGAPORE) The National University of Singapore (NUS) has implemented an innovative approach to address the recent surge in campus visitors, introducing a pilot programme that employs students as tour guides and ambassadors. This initiative comes in response to growing concerns from the university community about the impact of increased tourism on daily campus life.
The programme, set to run from 5 August to 30 September, involves 40 undergraduate students who have been trained as ambassadors. These students, compensated through the university’s Student Work Scheme, are stationed at the Stephen Riady Centre on weekdays during working hours.
Their primary responsibilities include conducting guided tours along a carefully curated route around University Town (UTown), designed to minimise disruption to academic activities and reduce congestion in high-traffic areas. Additionally, these ambassadors are tasked with engaging smaller tourist groups and those led by independent guides, educating them on visitor guidelines and proper campus etiquette.
The university’s proactive stance follows a wave of complaints that emerged on social media platforms, particularly Reddit, at the start of the new academic year. Students voiced concerns about overcrowded shuttle buses and canteens inundated with tourists, highlighting the need for better management of visitor traffic.
Adding to the complexity of the situation, listings for paid guided tours of NUS, including areas such as UTown and the Central Library, have appeared on Chinese social media platform Xiaohongshu. These unofficial tours, reportedly organised by students, charge anywhere from S$50 per person to S$310 for a group of six.
In an internal communication to students, NUS acknowledged that they are “closely monitoring the influx of tourists during the summer travel season of Asian countries” and implementing measures to mitigate disruptions to university life. The university reported that in the first two weeks of the programme, over 25 tour groups comprising approximately 500 tourists have been guided around the campus under this new initiative.
Complementing the ambassador programme, NUS has introduced additional measures to manage the influx of visitors. These include increasing the frequency of internal shuttle buses, installing signage reminding visitors to prioritise staff and students during peak hours, and deploying staff at key locations such as UTown bus stops and food courts to ensure priority access for the university community.
The university has also reinforced its policy prohibiting students and staff from granting visitors card access to restricted areas like residence halls and classrooms. Furthermore, ground surveillance and security measures have been enhanced to prevent unauthorised access to off-limits areas.
NUS has assured its community that these measures will be subject to evaluation in the coming weeks, with a commitment to consider additional steps if necessary to effectively manage tourist traffic.
