Debated in Parliament on 14 Jan 2026.
Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong asked the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade and Industry (a) whether the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) can assess the market impact of letting tour guides self-declare their language proficiency without formal testing, given the availability of AI translation tools; and (b) whether STB has studied the adverse impact of such AI translation tools on (i) consumers and (ii) guides who are actually proficient in the respective languages.
The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) removed the Multi-Language Proficiency Test requirement for tourist guides in June 2024. Since then, tourist guides have been able to self-declare their language proficiency and guide in additional languages without formal testing. The change was motivated by a desire to streamline licensing and regulatory requirements, given that tourist guides remain accountable to their hirers, including travel agencies, tour operators and tourists and will need to demonstrate their language competencies to avoid complaints or implications on their commercial contracts.
Thus far, STB has not received any complaints or negative feedback from visitors, while travel agents and tour operators appreciated the change as it enables them to more easily secure guides who speak foreign languages to meet market demand.
While the increasing prevalence of artificial intelligence (AI) translation tools enables more tourists to independently discover destinations, the human touch remains a critical element in the tourism sector. Tourist guides offer much more than translation services, providing unique and meaningful experiences over and above what AI can provide. STB remains committed to advancing the tourist guide profession to enable guides to leverage technologies, such as AI, to enhance the experiences they bring to tourists.
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