British travellers to Singapore face having their trips ruined after air pollution caused by fires in Indonesia reached record levels in the city state.
Tourists, along with residents of the city, have been told to minimise their exposure to the smog, and to avoid outdoor activities, putting many of the city’s attractions off-limits.
The Singapore Flyer ferris wheel suspended operations yesterday, while the city’s famous skyscrapers, and the Gardens by the Bay horticultural project, are shrouded in haze.
Outdoor attractions across the city, including the Adventure Cove Waterpark, have seen a dip in visitor numbers, Channel News Asia reports, and tour operators have been forced to adjust holiday itineraries, substituting outdoor activities for indoor ones.
At least one sightseeing company, DUCKtours, has cancelled its trips, while Universal Studios Singapore has had to cancel some outdoor shows.
The smog has hit small businesses too, with one restaurant reporting an 80 per cent decline in visitors.
Meanwhile, Changi Airport is increasing the time between takeoffs and landings as a precautionary safety measure, although no delays have been reported.
Michael Ross, a 44-year-old Briton and a former resident of Singapore, is due to fly to the city-state on Saturday for a family holiday.
“We did plan to spend four or five days in Singapore and visit Gardens by the Bay, the Singapore Flyer and the high-rise pool at Marina Bay Sands,” he said. “Now I am just trying to find us flights out of there and over to Cambodia for a few days instead.
“We had haze there before, but the levels seen in the last day or two are way beyond anything we experienced.”
Unfortunately Britons due to travel to Singapore will be unable to cancel their trip free of charge because of the pollution. Tour operators and airlines are under no obligation to offer a refund, or even alternative dates, unless the Foreign Office advises Britons against visiting the country.
Its advice currently states that Singapore “is experiencing high levels of pollution from land clearance fires in Indonesia - you should monitor the Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) updates and health advisories from the Singapore National Environment Agency (NEA).”
The NEA advises anyone with heart or lung diseases, children and the elderly to stay indoors, adding that “everyone else should avoid all physical activity outdoors”.
The Singapore Tourist Board said the country remains open to tourists but also advised caution.
"Tourists are advised to minimise their exposure by limiting prolonged or heavy outdoor activities," said a spokesman."In particular, children, the elderly and those with heart or lung diseases, should seek medical treatment early if they feel unwell. STB is keeping a close watch on the situation."
In an attempt to tackle the smog, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has ordered disaster officials to "mobilise all the country's resources" to extinguish the fires that are causing the problem. Indonesia's national disaster agency said two helicopters with cloud-seeding equipment were sent to Sumatra, where hundreds of hectares of carbon-rich peatland are ablaze.
游客以及新加坡的居民都得到要求尽可能地减少与雾霾接触，避免户外活动，这也让城市的一些旅游景点也已经禁止对外开放。
新加坡摩天观景轮（Flyer ferris wheel）已于20日停止运营，而著名摩天大楼和花园湾园艺（Gardens by the Bay）项目也笼罩在雾霾之中。
亚洲资讯频道（Channel News Asia）报道，新加坡整个城市的户外景点，包括冒险湾水上乐园（Adventure Cove Waterpark）也遇到了游客数量骤减的问题，而景点经营者也不得不改变游程，以室内活动代替室外活动。
至少有一家观光公司DUC旅游公司（DUCtours）已取消了它的游程，而新加坡环球影城（Universal Studios Singapore）也不得不取消一些户外表演。
这场雾霾也影响到了一些小企业，一家餐厅称少了80% 的顾客。
与此同时，作为一项预防性安全措施，樟宜机场（Changi Airport）加长了飞机起飞和降落之间的时间差距，但并未出现延迟现象。
44岁的英国人迈克尔·罗斯（Michael Rose）曾是新加坡的居民，原来是打算周六飞到新加坡参加家庭聚会。
他说：“我们原打算在新加坡住上四五天，还想参观花园湾，新加坡摩天观景轮和滨海湾金沙的高层游泳池。现在我只想找到航班飞出新加坡，去柬埔寨呆上几天。
“我们以前也遇到过雾霾，但是过过一两天的污染程度已经超过了我们之前遇到过的情况。”
不幸的是，由于此次污染，原本要到新加坡旅游的英国人无法免费取消他们的行程。旅行社和机场无义务提供退款，甚至也不能改签，除非外交部（Foreign Office）建议英国不去新加坡。
外交部目前的建议指出，新加坡“正在经历一场由于印尼清理土地烧荒引起空气高度污染——人们应该关注更新的污染指数（Pollutant Standards Index, PSI）和新加坡环境署（Singapore National Environment Angecy, NEA）提出的健康建议。”
NEA建议有心脏病和肺部疾病的人、小孩和老人呆在室内，并还说道：“所有人都要减少所有室外体力活动。”
新加坡旅游管理局（Singapore Tourist Board，STB）称，新加坡仍对游客开放但建议要小心。
“游客要尽量减少长时间的和大量的室外活动。”一位发言人说，“尤其是小孩、老人以及有心脏病和肺部疾病的人，如感不适应及时就诊。STB仍在密切关注这个情况。”
在试图解决这场雾霾危机的过程中，新加坡总统苏西洛·班邦·尤多约诺（Susilo Bambang Yodhoyono）已向救灾官员“动用国家所有资源”，解决这场烧荒带来的所有问题。印度尼西亚国家灾难局称，两架带有播种设备的直升机飞往苏门答腊岛，在那儿，上百顷富含碳的泥炭地满是火苗。