From fishball factory to bus depot, behind-the-scenes tours taking off

High demand for up-close experience, guided learning trips to household names

- Chin Soo Fang Senior Correspondent

It was 10-year-old Jovis Tan’s first factory tour when he visited Thong Siek Global (TSG) - known for its DoDo fishballs and other seafood products - in Senoko with some family members on Sept 5.

During the two-hour visit, he saw how fishballs, fish cakes and crabsticks were made using high-tech automation. He also got to sample freshly made products during and after the tour.

The Primary 4 pupil from Jing Shan Primary School said: “It was amazing, wonderful and delicious. I like eating fishballs, so the best part is sampling the food.”

He is looking forward to more factory tours. “After today, I’ll take any factory tour,” he said.

TSG started hosting tours in 2023. Today, it gets two or three inquiries for visits weekly, with 10 tours scheduled in September alone. Visitors pay $18 to $40, depending on add-on activities, and receive a goodie bag worth $15 of its products.

Mr Erik Lee, TSG’s brand manager, who conducts the two-hour tours, said demand for visits has been increasing, with more interest among community groups and overseas tourists. Due to space constraints, it can accept only up to 40 people for each tour.

“The greatest reward is the positive feedback from participants,” he said. “This gives us a sense of accomplishment, knowing that everyone went home learning something new.”

Singaporeans are signing up for a myriad of behind-the-scenes tours offered by companies here.

A tour offering a peek into the National Library Board’s (NLB) Library Supply Centre (LSC) in Changi was met with overwhelming response. All 200 slots were taken up within the week of release on the NLB website and libraries’ social media pages in mid-August.