The Tourism Management Institute of Singapore (TMIS) has it genesis in 1987 and was previously known as the Centre for Tourism-Related Studies (CTRS). In November 2000, it was officially re-launched as a 100% owned subsidiary and renamed as the Tourism Management Institute of Singapore (TMIS). It has since been at the fore-front of education, training and capability upskilling of the tourism industry in Singapore. Since its inception, TMIS have trained more than 50,000 students for the tour and travel industry and offer a wide spectrum of tourism courses, from certificate, diploma, undergraduate and post-graduate courses, all of which are registered with the SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG) and are internationally accredited and recognised.

In 2018, TMIS became a subsidiary of East Asia Institute of Management Pte Ltd, a member of the EASB Education Group, which had maintained the government-industry-education tripartite symbolicrelationship and actively participated in the Industry Transformation Map to identify future skills needed for the tourism industry.

Since 2002, TMIS have welcomed international students from across the entire Asia-Pacific region. Tourism is an important industry which many countries are seeking to develop. This provides much career opportunities for those who are keen to build a career in the tourism and travel industry. In line with our corporate mission, the institute provides tourism education and training to those who aspire to join the travel and tourism industry. 

With more than 30 years of experience in the travel and tourism industry, TMIS is well-equipped to provide education and training for international students and staff of the travel industry. To ensure our continuing value and relevance, TMIS had adopted regional perspective in our strategic goals and established ourselves as a notable tourism education and training institute in the region.

Hon. Chairman of TMIS

It has been a traumatic year for the world and the tourism industry. According to the International Air Transport Association, the Covid19 pandemic-induced border shutdowns had resulted in up to 1 billion less international tourists in 2020. This threatens to result in 46 million lost jobs in both the aviation and tourism sector. The loss in global GDP will go up to US$1.8 trillion. We know that 2021 will be better. Vaccines are being rolled out by governments worldwide while more vaccines are being announced. Governments are also attempting to roll out international travel albeit at modest scale. Organisations, commercial and not-for-profit alike, are working out plans to help everyone through this crisis and in preparation for the post-Covid19 world.

What is the role of the education institutions in preparing our learners for the new normal in 2021 and beyond? I would like to share the experience from TMIS First, TMIS, being a leading tourism training institution in Singapore, supports the policies and follows closely the advice of the Singapore government. During the Circuit-breaker imposed by the Singapore government from 7 April 2020 to 1 June 2020, we suspended all face to face training programmes. Second, for programmes that are possible for conversion to online training,we switched to Zoom and other video conferencing platforms. These created a steep learning curve for both the trainers and learners.There was some initial resistance, but the learners eventually realised that learning should not pause because of the Covid19 and they got on board. I am happy to report that in general, learning was not compromised. Third, now that with the situation in Singapore back to some form of normality and with TMIS back to daily operations, we follow the guidelines of the Singapore government in ensuring that our staff and learners follow safe management measures such as wearing face masks, temperature checks and regular handwashing. Beyond the three measures above, we are also updating our curriculum to equip our learners with knowledge and skills for the post pandemic world.

Tourism is a high touch service industry but it is not immune to the impact of technological advance. Our programmes need to help our learners navigate the latest technologies so that when they join the industry, they can perform more efficiently and more effectively. For example, our trainee tourist guides are learning to adapt to guiding with an audio guiding system that can be downloaded as an app onto their smartphone. In the past, tourist guides had to purchase a costly audio guiding system but now the system is the smartphone! Even when the pandemic is over, these tourist guides will have a new tool to conduct their tours with. Eventually when the borders of Singapore reopen, it will be even more crucial for service providers in Singapore to be able to protect our tourists through observance of safe management measures and other guidelines. It will be challenging for our service providers to get the tourists to obey and abide by these measures while maintaining the same high level of service.

TMIS is working closely with the relevant government body to develop a Tourism Concierge programme that helps our service providers to be able to better communicate with our tourists. I am sure in turn, Singapore will enhance our reputation as a top tourism destination with the best service. Tourism is an immensely important industry and I am sure I speak for everyone here today that it is our sincere hope that the industry will be back to normal soonest possible. While we work hard towards reviving our industry, the Covid19 pandemic is also an opportunity to review our practices in the past to prepare for a future with sustainability and better opportunities for all. I wish everyone good health and all the best.

✣ STB Approved Training Institute

We are Singapore Tourism Board’s (STB) approved training institute for the Tourist Guide Courses.

✣ Industry Connections and Networking Opportunities

TMIS offers more opportunities for students to network and interact with business communities to gain practical experience, business knowledge and management skills.

✣ Proven Track Record

TMIS has over 30 years of history in Singapore specialising in training the Tourism, Hospitality and Attractions sectors.

✣ Industry Recognised Qualification

Programmes offered at TMIS are fully accredited by universities, professional and government bodies.

✣ Enhanced Employability

WSQ certificates are directly awarded by SSG. These qualifications which are nationally endorsed and recognised by the tourism industry help to enhance employability locally or overseas.

✣ Experienced Trainers

TMIS trainers are not only academically qualified but also have extensive industry experiences.