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NUS to set up visitor centre, introduce guided walks for visitors to its campus

SINGAPORE – The National University of Singapore (NUS) said on Feb 9 that it will be setting up a pop-up visitor centre in late July to provide its visitors a “meaningful and engaging experience”.

The initiative, which will also see the university introduce guided walks led by trained NUS student guides, will help manage and regulate visitor traffic on campus.

This comes after media reports on complaints from students from both NUS and Nanyang Technological University (NTU) about an influx of foreign tourists on their campuses. The issues highlighted include large crowds taking up seats meant for students around the campuses and leaving a mess behind, long waiting times at toilets, and packed campus shuttles and eateries, including canteens.

In its media statement on Feb 9, NUS said that as it was an open campus, it will not be charging visitors any fees. “It is a privilege to be able to welcome visitors – locally and from abroad – who share in our mission and are interested to learn more about the university,” it said.

“At the same time, ensuring a conducive environment for the best learning experience of our students, preserving campus vibrancy for an immersive student life, and keeping our facilities such as laboratories and classrooms safe and secure are important priorities.”

NUS added that it is “mindful to minimise disruptions and safeguard the safety, security and privacy of our students and staff who are studying, working or living on campus”.

The new visitor programme will be up and running for the summer vacation season from late July 2024.

Until then, NUS said it will consult stakeholders and members of its community, including student leaders and its student union. It will also reach out to travel agencies to work out operational details such as tour registration, visitor routes and other arrangements, with the new measures announced when ready.

‘Cultural nuances’

A circular released by NTU on Feb 1, addressed to travel operators, laid out measures regarding planned tours on its campus. This included entry fees, registration of tours and allocated time slots for approved group sizes.

An NTU spokesman told The Straits Times on Feb 6 that “the primary purpose of the NTU campus is to provide a conducive learning environment for our students, and the needs of our students must come first”, noting that “having too many visitors can be disruptive to our students’ learning”.

“All visitors are expected to strictly observe campus rules, including no-stopping zones for vehicles, and visitors must keep to only public areas. No access will be allowed to restricted academic areas,” said the spokesman.

In a follow-up response from NTU on Feb 8, the university said it would be deploying additional security personnel across its campus and increasing the frequency of cleaning at essential facilities.

The entry fees it implemented are “needed to defray the additional costs necessary to ensure the safety and security of everyone, and also to ensure that our learning environment is not disrupted”. Visitor groups will be restricted to pre-approved public areas, and groups that do not have prior approval will be turned away by security personnel.

“Internal shuttle buses are intended for the NTU community to get around the campus, and not for use by members of the public. There are SBS Transit buses that the public can ride around the NTU campus,” it said.

Speaking to ST on Feb 6, Ms Annie Chang, director of travel agents and tourist guides at Singapore Tourism Board (STB), said that the board “does not promote educational institutions as tourist attractions”.

“The interest to visit these university campuses underscores our universities being reputable and respected worldwide,” said Ms Chang, adding that STB encourages tour operators to “incorporate interesting elements to showcase the diverse offerings in Singapore where feasible, while complying with the stipulated policies of the premises”.

Tour operators ST spoke to said that they do receive requests from clients to include visits to universities in Singapore as part of their travel itinerary.

Mr Law Yock Song, head of partnerships and business development at Tribe Tours, attributed such requests to cultural nuances, saying that these visits can “inspire school-going children to aspire to strive hard and gain admission into the school”.

Mr Law said the steps taken by NTU were a “positive move”, as they would help to better manage crowds and avoid disturbance to classes on campus.

“The universities are not attractions and should not be subjected to busloads of visitors,” he said.

However, the cultural nuances behind the interest in visiting educational institutes “remain deeply rooted”, and Mr Law acknowledged that it was difficult to say whether fees would impact such visits.

Mr Melvin Lee, chief executive and director of educational consultant Flying Chalks, attributed the interest in Singapore’s universities to curiosity. “Visitors want to have a glimpse of how one of the world’s top universities looks like and operates, just like how Singaporeans may be keen to see how Harvard and Oxford are,” he said, adding that his clients range from schools and private groups to corporations and even foreign government entities from all around the world.

Mr Lee said NTU’s measures were a step in the right direction. He also hopes that “universities will not overreact and impose overly restrictive guidelines and processes as visitors can add value to the school and its students”.

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NUS to set up visitor centre, offer free guided campus tours from end of July

• Lianhe Zaobao, 1 March 2024, p12

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Relive your memories with the campus virtual tour

Welcome to the campus virtual tour. let's revisit our favourite spaces and hangouts as we recall our fondest memories of the college., pay a visit to our residential colleges, drop by our lecture theatres and classrooms, explore the campus venues and facilities, or just stroll through the grounds. let’s revisit these cherished moments together, iconic places.

Residential Colleges, Our Home Base.

Mapping our memory on campus

Rediscover the stories and memories of our campus life. Scroll down to wander through the campus map, and learn about the places you can explore with the campus virtual tour.

After browsing through the library’s book stacks, we can settle down in our favourite study spaces, work with classmates in the group study rooms, or just check out the latest exhibitions.

Arts Centre

Explore the Arts Centre where we expressed ourselves through art, music, dance, design and fabrication.

Black Box Theatre

We saw so many interesting and exciting plays, as well as music, dance and even comedy performances in this intimate and versatile theatre space.

Athletics Centre

The Athletics Centre was where we kept fit, playing sports in the Multi Purpose Hall and working out in the Fitness Centre.

Outside Spaces

Apart from being a venue for outdoor events and performances, this is where we could relax and enjoy nature while surveying the landscaping, plants and animals.

Yale-NUS College Hall

We came together here to share ideas and knowledge at our Common Curriculum lectures, conferences, symposiums and other events.

Lectures and Classes

The lecture theatres and classrooms were where we learned from our teachers and from each other.

Cendana College

The dragon mascot symbolised the Cendana residents' independent spirit.

Elm College

Elm's tiger represented the students who were called the Elmighties.

Saga College

Known as Sagans, the Saga residents' mascot was a wise owl.

President's Apartment

All our Presidents lived on campus in an apartment above the library, where events were regularly hosted to engage with our community.

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National University of Singapore Campus Tour! + local food and friendly student guide :-)

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Will take interested travelers around the National University of Singapore to facilitate a peek into campus life here! I will also introduce to you a range of local food from the food courts in the university. Cost of food is not included in the $35/person price. Each dish ranges from $3.50 SGD to $5SGD. It gets even cheaper because I have a student discount.

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Tour of NUS by Vera was really nice. She taught me lots of things about Singapore situation and introduced her friends to me. Thanks Vera!

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NUS to offer free, student-led guided walking tours for tourists to manage visitor traffic on campus

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SINGAPORE — Addressing complaints about long queues for food and shuttle bus services caused by tourists visiting the National University of Singapore (NUS), the university will be introducing a pop-up visitor centre and “guided walk” programme for visiting tour groups, it said on Friday (Feb 9). 

Tourists taking photos at the National University of Singapore on Jan 31, 2024

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• Responding to an influx of tourists on its campus, the National University of Singapore will introduce a pop-up visitor centre and “guided walk” programme for visiting tour groups
• The initiative is aimed at helping to manage and regulate visitor traffic on campus and will be free of charge for tourists
• Walking tours will be led by trained student guides as they are "best placed to share first-hand experiences and perspectives”, NUS said
• The new visitor programme will commence from late July 2024

The initiative is aimed at helping to manage and regulate visitor traffic on campus and will be free for tourists, NUS said in a statement.

The walking tours will be curated to help visitors “understand our rich heritage and campus life” and will be led by trained student guides, given that they are "best placed to share first-hand experiences and perspectives”, the university added.

The announcement came after students from NUS and Nanyang Technological University (NTU) voiced their displeasure over what they felt was an influx of tourists visiting their campuses, causing various inconveniences.

NTU introduced an entry fee for tourists , requiring all travel agencies planning tours to their campus to seek prior approval from the university from Feb 1.

It told TODAY that the entry fees would be charged per group and that the university would inform the group of the applicable entry fee that is “based on the requirements of the travel agencies”. 

Taking a different approach, NUS said on Friday that it is not charging a fee because the university is an "open campus".

“It is a privilege to be able to welcome visitors — locally and from abroad — who share in our mission and are interested to learn more about the university.

“At the same time, ensuring a conducive environment for the best learning experience of our students, preserving campus vibrancy for an immersive student life, and keeping our facilities such as laboratories and classrooms safe and secure are important priorities."

To this end, NUS said that it is mindful to minimise disruptions and safeguard the safety, security and privacy of students and staff members who are studying, working or living on campus.

As for its new visitor programme, it will be “up and running for the summer vacation season” from late July this year.

NUS students had mixed reactions about the university's announcement when approached by TODAY. 

A first-year social work student who wanted to be known only as Daniel said that the new measures do not "tackle the root cause of there being too many tour groups". 

"Having a tour guide take them around still means that they will be taking the same buses and eating at the same places they currently are," the 21-year-old said. 

"I think NTU's system of having to register their tour groups may be more effective as it can regulate the number of groups at any given moment." 

However, another NUS student, an economics student in her fourth year of study who did not want to be named, believes that the student-led tours are a good idea. 

"I’m glad NUS is taking this approach as opposed to charging a fee or trying to monetise the situation, which I personally feel can come across as a little hostile for visitors," the 23-year-old said. 

She noted that although the university did not address explicitly how the tours would lessen the crowds on shuttle buses and canteens, she was confident that "there would be some effective planning done by the guides in that aspect". 

"It’s always good to attract more publicity for NUS while mitigating potential disturbances on students."

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National University Singapore (NUS) Campus Tour

My middle daughter is taking a semester abroad at the National University of Singapore. This tour of the campus turns out to be only a portion of the sprawling campus.

We thought the campus reminded us of a tropical resort, replete with greenspace everywhere. It is a beautiful campus! Take a look here:

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