Singapore, a bland tourist destination?

I’m in the Singapore airport right now and just ate way too much chilicrab. This airport is remarkable. With a free movie theater, massage chairs, a butterfly garden, attentive service and high-end shopping, you just can’t complain. I realize I’m sounding like a government-sponsored ad, but everything here really is designed for your comfort and credit card. In a way, Singapore as a whole feels designed for convenience and consumerism. You hear this in traveler critiques: criticisms of Singapore’s perceived lack of realism, its overtly manufactured spaces, and Disney-esque feel. Indeed, Orchard Road’s giant gold and sparkly “Glitzy Chrismas” banners and “go enjoy Christmas with VISA” street signs don’t exactly refute this stereotype.

The trend in travel today seems to be the less-developed, the more “authentic” the experience. I despise this attitude. Certainly, traveling in Singapore doesn’t result in sensory overload like traveling in some developing countries does, but the highly manicured walkways, giant malls, food courts, and clean streets are an experience in their own right, and are the result of Singapore’s journey from swampland to Asian leader. Dismissing Singapore as bland ignores the fascinating multicultural system that underlies the development. Additionally, Singapore’s rapid industrialization and water management stories are unparalleled.

Both Frommer’s Jennifer Eveland and Lonely Planet’s able staff give their own perspective on the travel offerings of Singapore beyond the skyscrapers. Sure, sometimes it does feel like Disneyland, and I don’t think that’s necessarily a bad thing.