'Not one bad interaction': Man encourages travel to Singapore as people here are really nice

One tourist was so impressed after his recent solo visit to Singapore that he felt the need to make a TikTok video to tell everyone about his experience. 

In the video uploaded on July 11, Ilyas Elmi, a US citizen, said that Singapore is "slowly creeping up the list" and becoming one of his top travel destinations. 

But while there is lots to love such as the food and sightseeing, his favourite part of the city is its safety. 

"I can hold my phone in the middle of the street just like this, by myself, and nobody does [anything to me]," he said. 

@ilyaselmi__ Who knew one day can have you feeling like this #travel ♬ original sound - Ilyas

"It's really safe, you can come here solo if you like. You'll be completely fine." 

Another aspect of Singapore that he loves is the locals. 

"The people here are so nice, they're so down to earth. I haven't run into one bad interaction since I've been here so far," he praised.

"Everybody's talkative, everybody treats you nicely. That really makes a trip, how the people are."

He went on to recommend that people pay a visit to Singapore, especially if they have just started out travelling. 

In the comments, Singaporeans welcomed him to our little red dot. 

Many agreed with Ilyas' point about how safe Singapore is, with some saying jokingly that the only crimes here are the taxi fares at 2am and "ghostly encounters". 

One mother also said: "As a woman who has a teenage daughter, I love the fact that she can come home alone at odd hours, and so can I." 

In another video of his trip to Singapore, Ilyas shared that he had visited the Marina Bay area and proclaimed: "Name a better skyline."

However, not everyone was singing the praises of Singapore, with some commenters pointing out that it was "boring" and "hot". 

In response to AsiaOne's queries, Ilyas shared that he arrived in Singapore on July 11 and stayed till July 15. During his short trip, he visited Marina Bay, Gardens by the Bay, Chinatown and Sentosa, all while trying as much local food as he could. 

"It wasn't a long trip, but I made sure to explore as much as I could while I was there," he told us. 

Ilyas explained that he had wanted to visit Singapore because the country had always stood out to him.

"It's one of the few places in the world where people consistently describe the city as being incredibly clean, safe and efficient. As someone who loves travelling and experiencing different cultures, I wanted to see if it really lived up to that reputation," he shared.

"I also found it fascinating how such a small country has become one of the world's most respected cities, and I wanted to experience that for myself rather than just seeing it online."

Besides the safety and the people, another thing he loved was the cleanliness.

"Coming from America, it's pretty common to see litter on the streets or overflowing trash bins in many places. In Singapore, I genuinely don't think I saw a single piece of trash on the ground during my entire stay. That was honestly shocking to me in the best way possible," he said. 

He also praised the locals for taking care of the city. 

"Everything feels well-maintained, organised and cared for. It made walking around the city so much more enjoyable and left a lasting impression on me. The combination of how clean, safe and easy it is to get around made Singapore one of the most unique places I've visited, and it's somewhere I'd happily come back to again.

While Ilyas has had a positive experience, other tourists have had a less enjoyable time here. 

Earlier in July, one British tourist said that Singapore was "the worst country he has travelled to" and "not even close" to the other cities he has visited. 

While he clarified that Singapore is "still a great country", he said it was quite boring compared with what he finds enjoyable. 

He also said that our little red dot is still worth a visit, especially for the food, people and skyline, but recommended that travellers only spend a short time here. 

His comments rattled some Singaporeans, with some telling him not to come back to Singapore. 

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