When the travel industry turns the corner following the aftermath of the coronavirus, cleanliness will be a priority in welcoming costumers back.

 

In that vein, Singapore has established the “SG Clean” designation, aimed at certifying hotels, attractions, and retail businesses so travelers have peace of mind when they visit.

 

“The SG Clean quality mark sends a strong signal to both locals and visitors that our tourism businesses take their cleanliness and hygiene very seriously and are committed to maintaining these high standards as a ‘new normal’ for the future,” Keith Tan, the tourism board’s chief executive, said in a statement in March. “We hope that this gives locals and visitors peace of mind to go out and enjoy all that Singapore has to offer, and to show support to our tourism businesses and workers during this challenging time.”

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“SG Clean” is also part of a wider initiative to promote public hygiene practices throughout the country.

 

For hotels, that designation is based on a checklist of seven requirements, including having a process in place to check temperatures and recognize employees’ respiratory symptoms, increase the frequency of disinfection for common areas, and appoint an “SG Clean” manager.

 

The Singapore Tourism Board wants to eventually certify thousands of tourism and lifestyle businesses.

 

The Grand Hyatt Singapore was one of the first hotels to be certified under the program, according to the tourism board. The hotel was the site of a January sales meeting that resulted in the spread of COVID-19 through several countries, including South Korea and Spain, Reuters reported.

As of Tuesday, Singapore had recorded more than 3,200 confirmed cases of COVID-19, according to Johns Hopkins University, which tracks the virus around the world.

 

Bruce Rosenberg, the chief operating officer for HotelPlanner, a website that works with group hotel bookings, told Skift that cleanliness will become a sticking point for travelers — at least for the immediate future.

 

Rosenberg said:“Hygiene will be front and center for 2020 and 2021 until there is a comfort level on cleanliness and delivering healthy stays/trips,”.