The latest Customer Satisfaction Index of Singapore for the tourism sector, conducted by the Institute of Service Excellence @ SMU, found that tourists are now less happy with Singapore’s attractions and hotels compared to a year ago. SMU Assistant Professor of Marketing (Practice) and ISES Academic Director Marcus Lee said: “The tourists' frame of reference on what constitutes high-quality service may have changed. Businesses must look beyond their service model and seek to understand their customers and external landscape better.” However, should this finding prompt any companies to suppress tourists' expectations in the hope that service delivery exceeds expected quality, they are warned that such a move could backfire. "This strategy is flawed as customers will approach the service with a negative mindset, looking for service failures to confirm their negative preconceived notions," he said.