‘Really need to start restricting access to tourists’: Students complain about tourists overcrowding NUS

Students complain about overcrowding in NUS caused by tourists

On the evening of 13 Aug, a Redditor made a post on the r/Singapore subreddit to complain and highlight tourist overcrowding in the National University of Singapore (NUS).

The post featured multiple images showing tourists on the NUS campus, including its cafes and the food court.

“NUS really need to start restricting access to tourists,” the post said.

As a result of the overcrowding, local students have allegedly had difficulty finding a table to enjoy meals and getting to class on time. Some have even felt insecure on campus.

Complaints ask for administrative help to handle overcrowding

The r/Singapore post is a compilation of several complaints that were made on the r/NUS subreddit.

Two of the complaints featured images of cafeterias packed with tourists. The user who submitted the post said the tourists didn’t follow the usual etiquette of clearing the tables after they had finished their meals. As a result, some of the cleaners scolded the tourists who left a mess.

The post then goes on to say that students were unable to take a seat after the tourists had left. This was because food had not only been left on the table but on the seats as well.

“When has NUS become a kindergarten,” the OP wrote.

Another user who’s an NUS student made a post about their confusion over how the Central Library was now completely open to the public. The post also contained complaints that the packed library has made it hard for students to utilise it due to noise and general crowding.

One commenter, who is seemingly a fellow student, wrote about an instance of finding the entire fourth floor of the library packed.

“Now I sort of know what it’s like being a zoo exhibit,” they wrote.

Another student even made a separate post saying that they no longer feel like their belongings are secure on campus.

Finally, complaints were also made that getting around campus using the public bus has become difficult.

Users claim that students feel like the administration has done very little to address student concerns over the matter. A couple of users suggested tighter security or fees for the tourists. However, no action has been taken by the university so far.

An ongoing issue for NUS and NTU

The complaints come as overtourism continues to be an issue for Singaporean universities. In February this year, Nanyang Technological University (NTU) imposed tourist fees to alleviate some of the disruption caused by tourists.

The two universities, which are highly ranked globally, faced similar issues earlier this year with students also complaining about excessive queues for food, overcrowding on buses, as well as inability to study in common areas.

These issues have led many students to feel like zoo animals, according to Yahoo! News.

Also read: NUS remains at 8th in QS World University Rankings, NTU climbs 11 spots on list

Have news you must share? Get in touch with us via email at news@mustsharenews.com.

Featured image adapted from Wikimedia Commons and Reddit.