Statute Details
- Title: Tourist Promotion (Tourist Hotels, Tourist Food Establishments and Tourist Public Houses) Notification
- Act Code: TPCESSCA1972-N1
- Type: Subsidiary legislation (Notification)
- Status: Current version as at 27 Mar 2026
- Authorising Act: Tourist Promotion (Cess Collection) Act (Chapter 329, Section 2)
- Key Provisions: Section 1 (citation), Section 1A (definition of “hotel”), Section 2 (declaration of tourist premises)
- Primary Cross-Reference: Hotels Act (Cap. 127) — registration of hotels
- Legislative History (high level): Substantially amended through a series of subsidiary instruments in 1997–1998; current consolidated version reflects those amendments
What Is This Legislation About?
The Tourist Promotion (Tourist Hotels, Tourist Food Establishments and Tourist Public Houses) Notification is a Singapore legal instrument that designates certain registered hotels and their associated premises as “tourist” establishments. In practical terms, it is part of the legal framework used to identify which hospitality and food/drink outlets are treated as tourist-oriented for the purposes of Singapore’s tourist promotion system.
Although the extract provided is short, the structure and wording are clear: the Notification does not create a general licensing regime by itself. Instead, it operates as a declaratory and classification tool. It relies on the Hotels Act (Cap. 127) to identify which premises are “registered as hotels,” and then uses a schedule (not reproduced in the extract) to list the specific hotels and/or premises that are declared to be tourist hotels, tourist food establishments, and tourist public houses.
For practitioners, the key point is that this Notification is typically relevant where a business’s legal status as a “tourist” establishment affects compliance obligations, eligibility for certain regulatory or administrative treatment, or the application of the tourist promotion system administered under the Tourist Promotion (Cess Collection) Act. In other words, the Notification is a classification mechanism that determines whether particular premises fall within the tourist promotion ecosystem.
What Are the Key Provisions?
Section 1 (Citation) provides the short title: the Notification may be cited as the Tourist Promotion (Tourist Hotels, Tourist Food Establishments and Tourist Public Houses) Notification. While this is standard drafting, it matters for legal referencing in notices, submissions, and enforcement correspondence.
Section 1A (Definition of “hotel”) is the most operational definitional provision in the extract. It states that, for the purposes of the Notification, “hotel” includes “any place or premises in the hotel used for the sale or for the preparation for sale of food or drink, whether cooked or not, intended for human consumption,” regardless of whether the place is owned or managed by the proprietor of the hotel. This is a deliberately broad definition.
From a compliance perspective, Section 1A expands the scope beyond the physical hotel accommodation area. It captures food and drink outlets within the hotel premises—whether they are restaurants, cafés, bars, or other service points—so long as they are used for the sale or preparation for sale of food or drink for human consumption. The inclusion of premises that are “owned or managed by the proprietor of the hotel” being optional (i.e., the definition covers places whether or not owned/managed by the proprietor) is particularly important. It means that even if a hotel’s food and beverage outlet is operated by a third party tenant or concessionaire, the outlet may still fall within the statutory definition of “hotel” for the Notification’s purposes.
Section 2 (Declaration of tourist establishments) provides the core legal effect. It declares that the hotels which are (i) registered under the Hotels Act (Cap. 127) and (ii) set out in the Schedule have been declared to be “tourist hotels, tourist food establishments and tourist public houses.” This provision ties the tourist designation to two conditions: registration status under the Hotels Act and inclusion in the Schedule.
Practically, Section 2 means that a hotel’s tourist status is not automatic merely because it is a hotel. The hotel must be registered under the Hotels Act and must also appear in the Schedule to the Notification. The Schedule is therefore central: it is the authoritative list that determines which registered hotels (and, by extension through Section 1A, their relevant food and drink premises) are treated as tourist establishments.
Because the extract does not reproduce the Schedule, a practitioner should treat the Schedule as the decisive document for determining whether a particular hotel or outlet is covered. In practice, disputes often arise around whether a business is within the listed premises, whether a particular outlet qualifies as a “place or premises in the hotel” used for sale/preparation of food or drink, or whether the outlet is operated under arrangements that might otherwise suggest it is outside the hotel’s control. Section 1A’s broad language is designed to reduce such arguments by focusing on use and location within the hotel premises rather than ownership or management arrangements.
How Is This Legislation Structured?
The Notification is structured in a conventional format for subsidiary legislation: it begins with citation and definitions, then provides the operative declaration. In the extract, the structure is essentially:
(1) Section 1: short title (citation).
(2) Section 1A: definition of “hotel,” including food and drink sale/preparation premises within the hotel.
(3) Section 2: declaration that specified registered hotels listed in the Schedule are tourist hotels, tourist food establishments, and tourist public houses.
(4) Schedule: the list of hotels (and, by implication, their relevant food and drink premises) to which the declaration applies.
Additionally, the document includes a legislative history section showing multiple amendments over time. While the extract does not detail each amendment’s substance, the presence of frequent amendments indicates that the Schedule and/or definitional or administrative aspects have been updated to reflect changes in the industry, hotel registrations, and the administrative needs of the tourist promotion system.
Who Does This Legislation Apply To?
This Notification applies to hotels registered under the Hotels Act (Cap. 127) that are set out in the Schedule. Accordingly, the primary class of affected entities is hotel proprietors and operators whose hotels are included in the Schedule.
However, the Notification’s practical reach extends to food and drink premises within those hotels. Under Section 1A, “hotel” includes any place or premises in the hotel used for the sale or preparation for sale of food or drink intended for human consumption. This means that hotel restaurants, bars, cafés, and similar outlets—whether operated by the hotel proprietor or by third-party operators—can be treated as part of the “hotel” for the Notification’s purposes. Therefore, concessionaires and tenants operating food and drink outlets within a listed hotel should also consider the Notification when assessing their compliance obligations within the tourist promotion framework.
Why Is This Legislation Important?
The significance of the Notification lies in its function as a gateway classification instrument. It determines which hotels and associated food and drink premises are treated as “tourist” establishments. In the context of the Tourist Promotion (Cess Collection) Act, such classification can affect how the tourist promotion system applies to particular businesses.
For legal practitioners advising hospitality clients, the Notification is important for at least three reasons. First, it provides a broad definition of “hotel” that captures food and drink premises within the hotel environment, reducing the scope for arguments based on ownership or management of outlets. Second, it ties tourist status to both Hotels Act registration and inclusion in the Schedule, meaning that due diligence must include checking the current Schedule rather than relying on general assumptions about whether a property is a “tourist hotel.” Third, the frequent amendment history suggests that coverage can change over time; businesses should therefore verify the current version and monitor updates.
From an enforcement and compliance perspective, classification matters because it can influence administrative treatment and obligations connected to tourist promotion. Even where the Notification itself does not set out detailed operational requirements in the extract, it is typically used alongside the broader statutory framework to determine which premises fall within the tourist promotion regime. Practitioners should therefore read this Notification together with the Tourist Promotion (Cess Collection) Act and any related subsidiary instruments that implement the cess collection or tourist promotion measures.
Related Legislation
- Tourist Promotion (Cess Collection) Act (Chapter 329) — authorising act for this Notification (Section 2)
- Hotels Act (Cap. 127) — provides the registration basis for hotels referenced in Section 2
Source Documents
This article provides an overview of the Tourist Promotion (Tourist Hotels, Tourist Food Establishments and Tourist Public Houses) Notification for legal research and educational purposes. It does not constitute legal advice. Readers should consult the official text for authoritative provisions.