Hello there!
I
made a trip to one of Singapore's top ranking attraction on trip advisor and
carried out my mission to understand better why a simple Orchid Garden could be
placed so high on the ranks compared to the blooming new attractions of
Singapore! Today, I found the reason why it is so fabulous, and many people are
raving about this quiet but fantastic National treasure Singapore has!!
Classifying
the attraction according to the visitor market
On my trip
to the National Orchid Garden, I noticed that there were many foreigners, and
many of them were in the area touring the attraction. I asked the ticketing
counter staff about the people that frequented this attraction, his reply was:
"many tourists from different regions of the world visit this site",
however, in my observation, the prices of the entrance fees were relatively
low, and asking him about the ownership of the National Orchid Garden, I was
told it was the National Parks, which meant that it was a public owned
subsidiary.
From here, I
observed that the Garden was originally built for a different purpose, such as
conserving the garden’s heritage, educating the public on the different types
of orchids, as well as a catalyst for tourism development, however since the
1990s, the garden began to steer in the direction of becoming a tourist
destination, of which the attraction gradually became "built-for-tourism",
even
though its entrance fees are reasonably low priced.
Picture 2
above shows an overview of the garden from the entrance. Through observation,
the profiles of visitors that patronize this attraction are likely the people
who are interested in nature and botany. Many of them are seen with expensive cameras,
and dressed casually. Also, after conversing with one of the staff, he
mentioned that the people that frequented the gardens are people who were
interested in the heritage. They usually were honeymooners, photographers and
even just ordinary tourists (raising the point that there were tour agencies
tying their itineraries with the attraction)
Why you
should visit this attraction?
Of course
you must! This garden is really fantastic. Apart from the heat, it is really
worth the trip. I loved the fact that this garden was really well maintained,
with different species of orchids on displays, and every orchid breed had a
unique story behind it. There were orchids bred to commemorate Late Princess
Diana, President of South Africa, Nelson Mendela etc. Moreover, when I went
inside, I was literally immersed in the lustrous showcase of orchids, as well
as the tranquillity of the garden that I totally forgot I was in Singapore. There
are many photo spots if you are love shooting pictures. Also, there are many
shady seats for you to rest at. Within the garden are many little zones for you
explore, I nearly lost my way in there the entire afternoon, had I not have a
map with me. My personal recommendation for you is to visit the cool house, if
you been to Gardens by the bay’s “cloud forest”, the cool house is something
similar but very much the mini version, yet interesting enough to keep you busy
snapping shots away.
If you want
a more precise understanding of what the garden has to offer, according to
Philip Kotler’s three levels of a product, I would say that the core product of
the National Orchid Garden offers a wholesome experience, whereby one gets to
learn about the heritage of the National flower, and also gets to soak in the
floral ambience.
The Tangible
products of this garden includes the entire three hectares wide landscape,
where you get to touch, smell, see and listen to the orchid habitat.
Unfortunately, you only get to taste the orchids if purchase the orchid tea
from the souvenir store at the exit!
The Augmented
product of this garden includes the following: car parks, souvenir store,
refreshment areas, even recommended wheel chair route, guided tours (upon
request) and also the good weather.
I believe
that you will definitely enjoy your trip to this garden with the vibrancy of the
garden, and the health benefits you get from exploring this garden, as well as
the enriching experiences you get from touring this site. Moreover, you get to
visit this site at a special student rate! So this would not be too hard on
your pocket either.
Unique
Nature of National Orchid Garden as a service product
The unique nature of this garden is such that the staffs are involved in producing and delivering the product itself.
This is especially so when the only visitors’ encounters are at the ticketing
booth, whilst their final encounter with the staffs are also at the souvenir
store which is also the exit of the attraction. Apart from that would be a
hired guide if they requested for one. This could phase a difficulty to the
attraction because I realized that the ticketing counter staff was not a local
and not very well versed in English, of which was the main medium of
communication in the industry. This could potentially affect the image of the
garden because the National Orchid Garden was supposed to be one that surfaced
a ‘national’ culture. Secondly, most tourists would use English to communicate,
hence communication barriers could arise and result in the moment of truth to
be negatively portrayed. Moreover, when I
asked the staff a few questions, she was unable to answer them and directed me
to her in-charge.
Next, customers themselves are
involved in the production process. This means that customers
themselves
will determine the experiences they have in the garden - be it positive
or
negative. And because of this nature, this could possibly create a
difficulty
in what the organisers intended for the experience, an example is seen
from
picture 3, where some customers were really inconsiderate and actually
stuffed
their litter in the plants. This actually spoilt a part of my experience
at the
garden. My analysis of this nature of the product which poses a
difficulty is such that because of such acts by the customers, other
customers' encounters could possibly be tainted, thereby, affecting the
garden's image in the long-run.
Thirdly, the service product is not standardized. This is typically true for the
National Orchid Garden because the attraction was a free-and-easy one, which
meant that where visitors walked to determined what they would experience, and
if they happen to miss out on a particular zone of the garden, then they would
not experience a wholesome experience compared to another visitor who went to
all the zones of the garden. Furthermore, guided tours are only available if
requested and because the service providers themselves are different, the type
of services they produce may not be the same (different tour guides, different
way of communication). This poses the difficulty of providing a wholesome
experience for all visitors to the attraction.
Fourth, the product is perishable, cannot be stored. Quite efficiently dealt
with by the garden, the garden has actually tied up with various tour agencies
to ensure that the visitor rate of the garden is high, and also they print
entrance tickets on-the-go, meaning only when people are entering the site, is
when they would print the tickets.
Fifth, there is no tangible product to carry home. Another
characteristic of this attraction is the inability to physically obtain the
“experience home”, such as the garden, its flowers, the birds, insects, and
everything that makes the experience wholesome cannot be taken home, neither
could they be inspected the “experience” prior to customers’ visits, or get any
exchange or refund of the “experience” if they are not satisfied with their
experience. Hence, this could pose a difficulty for the attraction in terms of
patronage.
On the other hand, I felt that the organization has tried to reduce
the intangibility of their product and so at the souvenir store, customers are
able to purchase a little orchid plant to bring home. Furthermore, the brochure,
seen in picture 4a & 4b, is another way of making their product “tangible”.
Finally, the surroundings of the service delivery process are a feature of the
service. Factors such as the seasons, and the weather hinders the service
delivery process of the attraction. This is so true for the Garden because it
is located in the outdoor arena, which means that come rain or shine, it must
be opened for patronage. Bringing to a more personal experience, I noticed that
some flowers bloomed according to seasons, and it so happened that in my trip,
I did not get to see the tiger orchid flowers, even though the plant was there,
and the picture sign had the model flower. The glaring sun was another issue
that inhibited my thorough enjoyment at the garden because I could hardly snap
good photos, nevertheless, I rather it sunny than rain.
Why this
attraction is highly ranked on trip advisor
Personally, I believe that this attraction has been highly ranked on
TripAdvisor is because is has met visitor needs in terms of the unique knowledge on the heritage of Singapore – our
national flower, the Orchid. Furthermore, with the garden facilities well
maintained, photographers are able to capture a slice of time in this garden.
Also, for amateurs like me, they actually built photo spots to encourage taking
of pictures within the garden. Besides, coming from the online reviews, many
people commented that it was reasonably priced.
In terms of
programmes, there are tour guide services which are payable if requested, which
gives visitors the liberty to decide if they want the freedom to roam or a more
educational session in the garden.
As a matter
of fact, I chose the national Orchid Garden because it was low pricing, and it
held enough space and time for an entire day’s tour because this Orchid Garden
is actually situated in a bigger garden which is the Botanic Garden, another
top ranking attraction recommended on TripAdvisor. Comparatively to budding
attractions such as the South.East.Asia Aquarium, and other attractions such as
the Singapore Zoo, the National Orchid Gardens hold a significant place in
Singapore’s history and heritage which is not boring, and definitely more
interactive then heading down to the local museums. Furthermore, it takes one
away from the frenzied lifestyle of life, and is a good time to be alone or
spend quality time with your loved ones.
In my
opinion, the garden has been successful in promoting itself with online portals
about the site available. Also, there are tie-ups with the tour agencies to
promote this attraction. On top of it, for tourists which tend to me more
independent (the allocentrics), the place has been made so accessible that
there are various means of transportation into area such as: MRT, public buses,
public cabs, and even the “Duck & Hippo” buses (primarily used for tourism).
The final
factor I believe the National Orchid Garden has successfully market itself is
through differentiating itself as the “Largest Display of Orchids in THE WORLD”.
Impacts
the attraction has on Singapore
Economic – The National Orchid Garden has definitely impacted Singapore’s
economy positively, bringing in more tourists to the destination, effecting more
tourist receipts. Apart from that, there is likelihood and opportunity cost
involved with the need to maintain the garden, which is likely not making any
profits from the ticket revenue. Hence, government funds are likely directed
into maintaining this attraction.
Environmentally – to the environment, the conservation purpose of the
garden is positive, however, there are likely damage to the heritage sites,
erosion, litter and even wear and tear. Picture 8 will show the heritage tree previously
being carved by visitors of the garden, which has been barricaded now.
Socio-culturally – the positive impact here is such that the site
improves the social understanding of the eco system, however, the downside
impact of this attraction would be that the jobs and visitors expenditure may
not necessarily be enjoyed by the locals ( as mentioned earlier that there are
staffs hired which are not Singaporean)
So, do drop by and check out the Singapore National Orchid Garden!
