Daily Cuts

Tourism tax – the effectiveness and impact on tourism figures

A new tourism tax is set to come into force in Thailand. Travellers will be charged 300 baht or S$11.80. Thailand is not the first country to impose this tax. Bali has imposed something similar and Japan is considering increasing its tourism tax to fund initiatives that address overtourism. Andrea Heng and Hairianto Diman assess the effectiveness of such tax and the impact it has on the tourism figures with Gary Bowerman, director, Check-in Asia and Asia Travel & Tourism Analyst See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

Singapore begins hiring foreigners as auxiliary cops

Singapore has begun recruiting auxiliary police officers from five more countries, to meet rising security needs amid a shrinking local workforce. As of December, such officers have been recruited from Sri Lanka, Myanmar, the Philippines, India, and China. They form around 3% of the total auxiliary forces in Singapore. Andrea Heng and Hairianto Diman find out what this solution looks like in the long run with Claribel Low, Senior Analyst, Social Cohesion Research Programme, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

Would you get beauty treatments in someone else's home?

An article out on CNA.asia looks at the rise of home-based salons and their draw compared to the traditional brick-and-mortar shops. Andrea Heng and Hairianto Diman speak with Cleo Chang, owner, home-based eyebrow embroidery business on how she ensures and assures potential customers of the safety of her treatments, and her customer Stacy Chng on why she has decided on a home-based salon over a traditional shop. See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

China bubble tea chain Mixue surges over 40% on debut

China’s largest bubble tea chain Mixue was off to a robust start on its trading debut, jumping as much as 47% at one point. The stellar start reinforces hopes for a strong year in new equity issuances by Chinese companies in Hong Kong. Andrea Heng and Hairianto Diman find out what makes Mixue such an attractive investment with Gary Ng, senior economist, Natixis See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

A Letter to Myself: How openness and intention inspire Safafisalam Bohari Jaon's approach to career mentoring

Safafisalam Bohari Jaon is the programme director of MARA Mentoring, a platform that prepares undergraduates from the Malay-Muslim community to make the most of their career aspirations. Safa shares how his own career journey has been shaped by the invaluable support he received from his mentor, how he overcame his own challenges with self-esteem as a youth, and how he's helping others from the community do the same. See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.