Business isn’t improving fast enough for Resorts World Sentosa (RWS), the Singaporean integrated resort owned and operated by Genting Singapore. The company has revealed it must lay off staff as a lack of tourism continues to strangle the business.
The Straits Times reports RWS are laying off approximately 2,000 employees as part of a “one-off workplace rationalisation.” The operator did not confirm though exactly how many of its 7,000 employees remain after the cuts. “We have made the difficult decision to implement a one-off workforce rationalization,” the company said in a statement.
RWS was cleared to reopen, following a long shutdown from the COVID-19 pandemic, on July 1. However, that brought significant restrictions, allowing only upper-tier members of customer reward programs to play, as well as locals who’ve paid SG$3k that gives them unlimited access to the casinos. That’s something, but without tourism to buff up revenues a bit, it just wasn’t enough to save these employees’ jobs.
The operator lamented the affect a lack of tourism has had both on itself, and Singapore as a whole. “Its pervasive and lasting effects will accelerate shifts in the tourism industry that require significant adjustments by all travel and tourism players,” RWS noted.