The inaugural Singapore Hospitality and Tourism Conference (SHTC) 2025, organized in partnership with the International Tourism Bureau of Asia, is indicative of the growing tourism industry. With more than 20 key tourist industry organizations extending 700 immediate openings, SHTC reflects the multitude professional opportunities available to burgeoning tourism scholars. To this effect, SHTC is poised to become the cornerstone of the burgeoning Singapore tourism industry.
The plethora of employment opportunities in tourism is indicative of the robust industry, which is pervaded by positive employment outlook. Between June 2023 to June 2025, tourism employment in Singapore surged by over 8%, climbing from 69,000 to 75,000 over the duration of 2 years. This is emblematic of the growth and success of the industry, and the subsequent employment opportunities which arise. According to Workforce Singapore’s MyCareersFuture platform, there are over 5,000 job advertisements for approximately 6,700 positions available in the second quarter of 2025, which underscores the strong demand for labor in the sector.
By the year 2026, more than 1,500 new hotel rooms are expected to open, to be housed in new locations which include Mama Shelter, Hotel Waterloo Singapore – Handwritten Collection, and Varel Singapore. The growth trend seems to be continuing.
Such growth, in turn, makes more career advancement opportunities available to job seekers.
“Along with managing the tourist 2040 strategy, which plans the development of Singapore’s tourism over the next decade, it is indispensable to digitally transform the sector, bolster its capabilities, and above all, create diverse and meaningful employment. All of which will help us boom the ‘Job Growth Driver’ vision. For the above vision to become reality, it is crucial that the workforce targets the sophistication of their skills to digital and AI technologies as well as to the factors of sustainability. The Institutes of Higher Learning are in a curriculum enhancement race in line with the shifting tastes of Update the global tourism and catering business to foster the graduates with the right skills at the right time. As with many fast evolving industries, Singapore’s tourism industry is bound by a specific set of…””Most of which are aligned with the skills set defined by Rachel Loh, the minister of the Singapore Tourism Board.”
The SHTC 2025 aims to encourage students and graduates alike to engage in career pathways that will yield high returns in the tourist business. During the event, there will be an in-person career fair. More than 20 exhibitors across various sectors of business will set up. These MICE associates as well as those associated with attractions, resorts, and various travel tours will be more than happy to create, support and facilitate internships, mentorships, scholarships, and jobs. Moreover, the conference will focus on new innovative designs for applications of interest in the tourism and travel sector.
In August, over 50 students participated in a student hackathon aimed at SHTC 2025. The hackathon aimed to research and develop new and creative ways to assist the tourism industry in its development and growth through technology.
The hackathon with its new masterclass components and mentoring from Marina Bay Sands will close at SHTC with a ticketed presentation of the contained concept, which will be awarded as the best winning idea. This, however, gives the students an unprecedented opportunity to practice in the travel and hospitality sector. The travel and tourism courses offered in Singapore’s higher learning institutions have been refreshed in accordance to the growing needs of the industry because tourism growth in Singapore continues to expand. Learners have a plethora of flexible pathways at their disposal which will enable attainment of their segmented objectives. These include the Talent Advancement Programme, Work-Integrated Learning, and other overseas industry-subsidized projects offering students practice and cultural exposure. We maintain strong collaborations with many fields.
In order to keep the CET programs, which we will develop with our partners, pertinent to the expanding workforce, we will work to ensure that our curriculum adheres to the current changes and shifts in the ever-changing landscape.
The rise in the number of students enrolling in the courses attests to the keen interest in the profession and the prospects coming along with it. As Republic Polytechnic’s School of Hospitality Director and the Co-Chair of the Sector Coordination Team of the Republic’s Tourist, Hotel Operations and Management, Fu Chuan Chong, emphasized the need to nurture a workforce that is fully equipped to meet the demands of the country’s tourism sector.
As noted by Tan Siew Kim, Director of School of Business at Temasek Polytechnic and Co-chair of the Sector Coordination Team for the Tourism, Hotel Operations and Management, “As tourism grows and evolves, there is a chance to attract more talent not only by offering additional programs but also by kindling passion.” Kim noted the more personal aspects of these industry advancements and educational endeavors, “As tourism grows and evolves, there is a chance to attract more talent.”
This industry is broad and diverse, which means we are able to offer the students assistance in positioning themselves in this part of the economy. We wish to capture the essence of true passion, aligned with the industry’s changing dynamics, and which is likely to give a career that is fulfilling and enduring. Concerning the future for hospitality and tourism, we should examine it in this framework: the marriage of passion and purpose.
After five years of success for the annual Tourism Transformation event, the SHTC 2025 for SHTs is an evolution of the event, still coordinated by the Tourism Sector Coordinator Team consisting of 6 IHLs. Each of the new partners, the Singapore Tourism Board (STB), the Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT), and the Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS), has strengthened the focus of iteration2 by providing students with enhanced graduates employability. This exemplifies the growing commitment of Singapore to reinforce the country’s pipeline for talent in the hospitality and tourism sector.
