Singapore is a lively and unique travel destination. Singapore is a blend of Eastern and Western cultures, which is why this Southeast Asian nation is such a popular tourist destination for both Asian and European travelers.
Sir Stamford Raffles plays an important role in the history of Singapore. Raffles was a British government official who more or less put Singapore on the map as a strong commercial and business hub.
Hundreds of years before Raffles bought Singapore from the ruler of Johor in the early 19th century. Singapore had been an insignificant settlement at the time, however under British rule it quickly blossomed into one of Asia’s economic powerhouses.
The Japanese took control of Singapore in 1942 during World War II. At the end of 3 years of Japanese occupation, Singapore was returned to the British.
Soon after, the people of Singapore made it clear to their British rulers that they did, in fact, want to rule and control their own country, leading to their self-rule beginning in 1959.
In the early 1960s, Singapore briefly joined the Malaysian federation for a 2-term; however, it soon became apparent that Singapore was better off as a fully independent nation.
Many of the larger nations in the regions believed at the time that Singapore was making a mistake due to its scarcity of natural resources and its small size.
However, the Prime Minister of Singapore at the time, Lee Kuan, believed that Singapore had a right to exist as an independent nation and proved him right by starting and expanding an export-oriented industry as well as a flourishing tourism industry.
The tourism industry has proven to be very successful and has been an important part of Singapore’s success. Tourists especially love the mix of different cultures and cuisines due to the background of its citizens.
Many Singaporeans have Chinese, Malaysian, or Indian ancestors that can be seen all over Singapore. Take a walk through the streets of Singapore and you can see a temple on one corner, a church on the next, and a mosque right next door.
Eating out in Singapore is a true delight due to the fusion of the various cuisines that have created some excellent dishes that are unique to Singapore. Singapore has not only proven to be a popular destination for tourists, but has also been a huge hit with business travelers.
Due to the excellent meeting and conference facilities in Singapore, many large international events are held in Singapore, attracting thousands of visitors and exhibitors each month, which has increased hotel occupancy levels to the highest in the region along with those of Hong Kong.
Singapore continues to be an extremely clean city where you will find Singaporeans going to great lengths to keep their city spotless. Littering on the street is highly frowned upon by the locals and large fines are imposed on those who do so.
Singapore’s laws and regulations are known to be among the harshest in the world, as are the punishments for those who break them.
Singapore still has the death penalty and has one of the highest per capita averages when it comes to the number of people executed.
There have been a number of high-profile executions recently involving foreign nationals, however the Singapore government was not lenient or flexible in any way when foreign governments requested clemency or leniency for their citizens.
Singapore is something like the political leader of the group of countries that make up ASEAN, which means the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, which also includes countries like Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand, for example.
Singapore has been a stabilizing factor in the region, though it has had its own share of tensions with neighboring Malaysia over various issues, including fishing grounds, airspace and natural resources. However, Singapore has always been able to settle matters at the negotiating table.
