Tag: Singapore Tourism Board

Singapore – The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) has announced the launch of its immersive experience ‘Singapore Wonderland’ on the popular sandbox game Roblox. Said experience is part of STB’s efforts to reach new audiences in innovative ways, and allows users to experience Singapore as they accomplish various tasks in a virtual world.

The tourism board has teamed up with Publicis’ gaming specialist Publicis Play and Roblox developer Wonder Works Studio to develop the immersive experience over five months. 

Singapore Wanderland puts a playful spin on real-life attractions in three mini-games, where players earn magic orchids to transform a garden with STB’s destination mascot Merli. Gardens by the Bay, Mandai Wildlife Reserve and Marina Bay Sands are featured in the mini-games, alongside iconic attractions such as the Merlion Park, Singapore Flyer, Adventure Cove Waterpark and The Fullerton Hotel Singapore.

Moreover, the experience is based on popular entertainment formats on Roblox, and aims to drive affinity for Singapore by featuring elements inspired by the country’s destination icons. 

For example, users can express themselves through fun personalisation options. They can amass virtual collectibles to customise their avatars, such as a Supertree hat, a Singapore Flyer Backpack and a Lotus race car.

Kenneth Lim, assistant chief executive for marketing group at Singapore Tourism Board, said, “STB is constantly exploring creative ways and fresh channels to engage new audiences and connect with potential travellers. Singapore Wanderland demonstrates how we push the boundaries of innovation while inspiring travel to Singapore. We welcome visitors to explore Singapore virtually, and for tourism partners to collaborate with us in the virtual world to create impact in the real world.”

Singapore – The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) has teamed up with creative agency TBWA\Singapore in conceptualising ‘Here is SG’: a sculpture that symbolises the newest representation of the Singapore’s Destination Brand – ‘Passion Made Possible’.

The sculpture is a joint effort by local talents from contemporary art and design collective PHUNK, urban greening specialists Greenology and design-to fabrication consultancy Superstructure.

It features the SG Mark and Singapore Tourism Board’s Passion Made Possible brand – which articulates the stories on Singapore, its endless possibilities, and the passions of Singaporeans. Coupled with the vision to encourage user-generated content by the public and inspire travellers to visit Singapore for their next holiday destination, the sculpture is also designed to be more than just a brand installation and a new photo taking opportunity.

“Opportunities were thoroughly examined, and strategic considerations were included in the creative proposal to enhance placemaking efforts and encourage exploration of tourism precincts, promote positive interactions, and serve as an anchor of identity and community bonds,” the agency said.

They added, “As a young nation with few natural resources, Singapore has always depended on the tenacity and resourcefulness of its citizens – this was the root of TBWA\Singapore’s innovative creative idea to use the deconstructed Trust Mark as a representative of people coming together from all walks of life, and forging a national identity amid diversity.”

The sculpture, which opened to the public on August 15, seeks to strategically shape the physical and social character of the area around arts and cultural activities, and bring diverse people together to celebrate, inspire and be inspired. 

Manila, Philippines – Ant Group, the owner and operator of Alipay, has expanded its partnership with Singapore Tourism Board (STB) to make cross-border travel to Singapore more seamless and convenient. The partnership builds on the collaboration forged in 2019 and is focused on driving tourism growth in Singapore through a series of digital and marketing initiatives over the next two years. 

To strengthen Singapore’s destination appeal among travellers from Asia, including key markets like Malaysia, the Philippines, South Korea, and Thailand, Ant Group launched the ‘SingapoReimagine with Alipay+’ campaign with STB. As part of SingapoReimagine, STB’s international recovery campaign, it will offer fresh and innovative experiences to travellers from the said markets, whilst allowing transactions in Singapore through mobile wallets that consumers are familiar with. 

The joint campaign will also highlight exclusive offers to users of the six Alipay+ partner mobile wallets when they travel to Singapore. In addition, Ant Group will progressively expand the ‘Passion Made Possible Privileges’ (PMPP), a mini programme co-branded with STB to serve tourists to Singapore – previously available only on Alipay – to other Alipay+ mobile wallets. These initiatives aim to help Singapore businesses reach and engage a new pool of customers, increasing the visibility and awareness of Singapore’s tourism offerings for visitors before and during their trips to Singapore. 

As part of the partnership, STB and Alipay+ will also explore piloting digital solutions with local businesses in areas such as digitalisation of service operations, digital marketing efficiency and enhancing customer experience. 

The new mobile wallets accepted in Singapore are GCash from the Philippines, TrueMoney from Thailand, and AlipayHK from Hong Kong SAR, China, adding to existing partners Kakao Pay from South Korea, Touch ’n Go eWallet from Malaysia and Alipay from the Chinese Mainland. 

Angel Zhao, president of international business at Ant Group, said, “We deeply believe that the benefits of digital innovations can be amplified through open collaborations in the ecosystem. Ant Group is always open to join hands with partners such as STB to provide businesses, especially small and micro enterprises the best digital services, including payments and marketing solutions and we are committed to contributing to the digital transformation of industries and create greater value for societies.” 

“Amid the fast recovery of the tourism industry, we are excited to play a part in promoting Singapore as a top destination of choice for travellers and making travel safe, seamless and efficient through digital solutions like Alipay+,” she added. 

STB Chief Executive Keith Tan said, “Singapore has seen strong travel demand from Asia since our reopening and we hope our joint initiatives can grow and sustain that demand. The next phase of our exciting partnership with Ant Group will also offer a seamless experience when travellers visit Singapore, build affinity for our destination, and drive the digitalisation of our tourism sector.”

Based on STB’s data, Hong Kong SAR, China, Malaysia, the Philippines, South Korea, Thailand, and Chinese Mainland were among Singapore’s top 15 markets in 2022. Prior to the pandemic, approximately a third of Singapore’s visitors were from Southeast Asia, and another third from the Chinese Mainland and the rest of Northeast Asia. 

Singapore –  Building on their marketing collaboration agreement last 2020, the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) and travel booking platform Klook have partnered anew to drive travel recovery and promote Singapore as a destination, targeting travellers from key SEA markets including Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines, as well as Thailand, and Vietnam 

The partnership was launched in June 2022, and since then, Klook has been partnering with over 20 in-market Influencers/KOLs and content partners to create engaging and immersive content that will be customised to each market. To complement this and further drive travel recovery from these markets, Klook will also be giving away more than $60,000 worth of deals, promotions and giveaways for visitors to Singapore till the end of December this year. 

For additional information on in-market campaigns, five unique landing pages on Klook have been created to enable visitors to discover and book their trips seamlessly. These pages will act as a central repository for travel-related information, content, precinct itineraries, experiences, events, accommodation, and promotions – enabling visitors to travel with ease by having all the information they need at the tips of their fingers.

Moreover, visitors will be able to select from more than five Klook-exclusive Multi-Passes that centre around the themes of attractions, wildlife, playgrounds, adventure, and wellness. The campaign will also showcase the lesser-known and unexpected sides of Singapore with specially curated experiences centred around Singapore’s cultural precincts, like Chinatown, Joo Chiat/Katong, and Kampong Gelam, as well as Little India.

Marcus Yong, Klook’s vice president of marketing for APAC, commented they are excited to partner with STB to drive travel interest and invite visitors to experience Singapore’s reimagined offerings. 

“As travel roars back, we want to continue to enable travellers in Southeast Asia to experience a sense of joy and wanderlust when they visit Singapore. As Asia-Pacific’s leading travel and leisure e-commerce platform, we are uniquely placed to help drive demand back to Singapore and lead travel recovery,” said Yong.

Meanwhile, John Gregory Conceicao, STB’s executive director for SEA, shared they have seen strong demand for travel to Singapore from SEA since they opened their borders to fully-vaccinated travellers without testing or quarantine. 

“Visitors from Southeast Asia accounted for nearly half of all international visitor arrivals in Singapore for the first six months of 2022 and continue to drive Singapore’s tourism recovery efforts. STB will continue to work with leading platforms like Klook to tap on new trends as we invite travellers to reimagine what Singapore has to offer,” said Conceicao.

Singapore – Extending their three-year MOU signed in late 2020, Trip.com Group and Singapore Tourism Board (STB) will deepen their collaboration across key markets including Thailand, South Korea and Hong Kong, while expanding their partnership to include new markets Vietnam, the Philippines, and Malaysia.

With pent-up demand being one of the main drivers of the travel recovery, Trip.com Group will accelerate its collaboration with STB to promote Singapore to travellers from key markets through a series of initiatives, including marketing campaigns, public relations activities, KOLs’ reviews, and promotions through Trip.com Group’s brands including Trip.com and Ctrip.

Amongst various initiatives, Trip.com Group and STB will also curate and deliver engaging content via Trip.com’s app and website to showcase the Singapore destination story and position the city-state as a safe and compelling destination of choice for travellers.

Going forward, Trip.com Group and STB will also continue to identify and launch targeted programmes to promote and position Singapore as an ideal destination for various activities, including as a sanctuary for sustainability, a haven for urban wellness, a paradise of evolving flavours and a world of possibilities for travellers to experience Singapore in new and unexpected ways.

Sun Bo, Trip.com’s group CMO, shared that the past two years have been challenging for the tourism industry across Asia, but they are deeply encouraged and appreciative of Singapore’s support for local tourism businesses, which includes the launch of the SingapoRediscovers Vouchers campaign which Trip.com was part of, as well as the timely announcements relating to the reopening of borders such as the previous Vaccinated Travel Lane scheme and the current Vaccinated Travel Framework.

“Trip.com Group is excited to deepen our strong relationship and collaboration with STB to further facilitate and promote travel to Singapore. This is a beautiful country which offers different unique experiences for various groups of tourists, and Trip.com Group will launch specific campaigns and initiatives in the coming months across the key markets where there exists a strong demand for travel,” said Bo.

Meanwhile, Juliana Kua, STB’s assistant chief executive of the international group, noted that they have worked closely with Trip.com Group especially over the last two years during the pandemic to maintain Singapore’s mindshare amongst regional travellers. 

“With the resumption of travel, we are delighted to deepen our partnership with Trip.com Group, which has a growing network of services, users and data. We will tap on these to showcase Singapore’s refreshed destination offerings, and encourage travellers to reimagine travel to Singapore as part of our SingapoReimagine global marketing campaign,” said Kua.

In addition, consumers in various markets can also look forward to attractive travel promotions. These will be rolled out in phases after taking into consideration the respective market’s readiness to travel and prevailing travel policies. For a start, joint campaigns to promote Singapore as an attractive travel destination will be launched in South Korea, Thailand, and the Philippines over the next week, including attractive deals and collaborations with travel KOLs such as travel_bellauri and im0gil from South Korea and CHAILAIBACKPACKER from Thailand who will share their insights and recommendations on exciting and unexpected itineraries that visitors can experience in Singapore.

Bo said, “Trip.com Group looks forward to working closely with STB and our local partners to present the beauty of Singapore and its uniquely local experiences to the global community in the coming months.”

Singapore – The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) and CapitaLand Investment Limited (CLI) have recently inked a three-year partnership to deliver new retail concepts and drive global awareness of Singapore and CapitaLand malls as must-visit lifestyle destinations.

Said partnership is a first for CLI and is aimed at capturing pent-up demand as international travel recovers. It hopes to enhance Singapore’s destination appeal to international visitors, achieve greater impact with meaningful and differentiated events and retail experiences, as well as drive incremental spending among locals and international visitors.

One of those initiatives they plan to do is to profile home-grown brands locally and in China across selected CapitaLand malls in both countries, with a focus on Singapore malls in tourism precincts such as Orchard Road (Plaza Singapura, The Atrium@Orchard), Civic District (Funan, Raffles City Singapore), Bras Basah.Bugis (Bugis+, Bugis Junction and Bugis Street) and Clarke Quay.

In addition, they also aim at creating unique retail-tainment and lifestyle offerings through innovative cross-industry partnerships in areas such as the arts, lifestyle and sports. These will add to the pipeline of signature leisure events and activities in Singapore.

Yap Chin Siang, deputy chief executive at STB, said, “We are delighted to ink this timely partnership with CapitaLand Investment to enhance and showcase the vibrancy of Singapore’s retail scene to the world. Together, we hope to engage consumers more meaningfully, as we jointly curate inspiring first-to-market offerings and authentic experiences that will strengthen Singapore’s position as a lifestyle destination for locals and visitors.”

The partnership, supported by EnterpriseSG, will also give home-grown brands more opportunities to raise their profile through the various projects to capture growth opportunities in Singapore and China.

Meanwhile, Chris Chong, CEO for retail and workspace in Singapore and Malaysia at CLI, commented, “As Singapore’s largest mall operator with an extensive network of retail partners, we are pleased to partner STB, with support from Enterprise Singapore, to further enhance the vibrancy of our malls, which are popular lifestyle destinations for locals and tourists to meet, shop, dine and play. We are excited to work with new and familiar like-minded partners to present unique immersive retail experiences, fusing concept stores with world class events to delight our shoppers and boost sales for our retailers.”

Singapore – The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) has partnered with Traveloka and Trans Digital Media to welcome Indonesian travellers in Singapore as part of its ‘SingapoReimagine’ recovery campaign.

To drive visitation, STB has undertaken these two Memoranda of Cooperation (MoC), which is their first key lifestyle and travel partnerships inked in Indonesia since the pandemic, to position Singapore as the holiday destination of choice with great offers following the city’s reopening to fully-vaccinated visitors with no quarantine and testing requirements under the Vaccinated Travel Framework.

In addition, STB has partnered with three Indonesian celebrities; Sarah Sechan, Marissa Nasution dan Denada Tambunan to showcase a different side of what the city has to offer, from exciting new attractions and novel dining concepts to wellness retreats and sustainable experiences for its 3-part SingapoReimagine video series.

John Conceicao, executive director Southeast Asia, of the Singapore Tourism Board, said, “With the strong rebound in the Indonesia market in recent months as a result of quarantine-free and test-free travel for the fully vaccinated, we are doubling down on our SingapoReimagine recovery campaign to maintain top-of-mind awareness and recapture mindshare amongst our target audiences. Through our partnerships with Traveloka and Trans Digital Media we hope to entice Indonesian travellers with a wide range of curated tactical offers such as flight and hotel packages and other lifestyle offerings to drive and sustain visitorship through to next year.”

The partnership with Traveloka will drive interest to a wider target audience and provide an easier booking experience for Singapore offerings across five markets in the Southeast Asia region, namely Indonesia, Malaysia Thailand, Philippines, and Vietnam. STB Indonesia had previously partnered with Traveloka in 2019 before the pandemic, and with the improving travel situation regionally, this partnership is timely to reignite the pent-up travel demand and sustain the recovery momentum.

Shirley Lesmana, chief marketing officer at Traveloka, commented, “We are very excited to partner up with STB to offer many of Singapore’s reimagined experiences through our all-encompassing superapp. Before the pandemic, Singapore was consistently amongst the top 3 tourist destinations for Indonesians, and we are hoping that this partnership will continue the momentum, revitalising the wanderlust in Indonesians to travel to Singapore.”

Meanwhile, STB hopes its first of its kind partnership with the Trans Digital Media group will help to drive demand and actual bookings for leisure travel to Singapore. The partnership with Trans Digital Media will see AntaVaya – one of Indonesia’s largest travel agencies, creating new Singapore products supported by exclusive Bank Mega deals and promoted throughout their media and retail outlets nationally.

Abdul Aziz, president director at Trans Digital Media, said “We believe that people are eager to start travelling again as the global situation continues to improve and allows for safer travel. We are truly excited about the collaboration with STB to strengthen the appeal of its tourism offerings to the Indonesian market. With this partnership, we hope to be able to support Singapore’s tourism recovery to emerge even stronger than before.”

Singapore – Singapore Tourism Board (STB) and digital travel platform Agoda, have collaborated on a joint marketing campaign to bring more visitors from Southeast Asia into Singapore.

Through the partnership, Agoda’s technology and travel expertise, data insights and integrated marketing capabilities will be utilised to showcase Singapore’s travel experiences. This marks the first direct partnership between STB and Agoda to better capture travel demand as border restrictions begin to lift in the region. 

Enric Casals, director of Agoda, said, “Globally headquartered in Singapore across our 16 years of operation, our biggest focus has always been in bringing ease to the world of travel. Singapore is a bustling city centre at the heart of Asia with so much to offer its visitors from the region. With this partnership, we are glad to lend our insights and innovative marketing to help STB optimise footfall to our home base.”

He added, “Agoda strives to be a supportive partner to the governments and communities we operate in, and we hope this will be the first in a longstanding partnership with the Singapore government, towards stimulating the tourism economy,”

Meanwhile, John Gregory Conceicao, executive director of Singapore Tourism Board, shared, “As borders gradually re-open, it is important for the industry to collaborate and drive our travel sector forward. That is why we are delighted to collaborate with Agoda in Southeast Asia, which is a significant market that will play a key role in tourism recovery. Here in Singapore, we are reimagining the visitor experience to make each trip a meaningful exploration of our island.” 

“Through this partnership, and with the insights and knowledge that each partner brings to the table, we can reach a wider audience and invite them to rediscover Singapore and our vibrant neighbourhoods, variety of delicious food and unique attractions,” Conceicao added.

Singapore – National Arts Council, the government agency that specializes in the development of the literary, performing, and visual arts, has partnered anew with Singapore Tourism Board (STB), to launch a new campaign film, aimed at flaunting the vibrancy and color of the city’s walls while showcasing Singapore’s diverse precincts.

The film, which follows last year’s ‘Dance to a New Beat’ campaign, features more than 30 local dancers performing at various artistic locations across the city, where each is paired with a different style of dance to complement the theme of the location. Managed by local dance company O School, the styles stretch across hip hop, street jazz, contemporary, and various other street styles. 

Titled ‘Be Drawn In’, which is created in collaboration with creative agency TBWA\Singapore, is part of the SingapoReimagine, a major campaign launched by the board to create conversations, stories, and engagement in shaping local tourism, and #SGCultureAnywhere, a campaign that aims to reach out to home-grown audiences and those around the world, while supporting our Singaporean artists and arts organizations.

Moreover, the campaign seeks to encourage the discovery of Singapore through the arts and heritage – this time showcasing the multiculturalism and diversity that the country has to offer.

Serene Lim, the director of performing arts at National Arts Council Singapore, shared that this is the second of a trilogy of dance films, and this piece celebrates the beauty of rhythm and movement in visual synchronicity through dance.

“Our partnership with the Singapore Tourism Board that resulted in this series will add to the diversity and vibrancy of our arts landscape, made possible by our artists,” said Lim.

Meanwhile, Georgina Koh, Singapore Tourism Board’s director of digital and content, said, “Through our long-standing collaboration with the National Arts Council, we hope to showcase more of our destination to global audiences, while inspiring greater interest and engagement in Singapore’s arts.”

Pete Callaghan, TBWA\Singapore’s creative director, noted this film ignites travel inspiration in a unique and energetic way, drawing people in by highlighting the breadth of art they have hidden around Singapore.

“It was equally important to provide a global stage for our local dancers to showcase the amazing talent, enthusiasm, and appreciation for the performing arts scene in Singapore,” said Callaghan.

Singapore – The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) has launched ‘SingapoReimagine Global Conversations’, a new forum series that puts industry game-changers on the global stage. Featuring speakers across different sectors, disciplines, and locations, the series outlines new travel experiences and business models that demonstrate how the travel industry has innovated and adapted for the future. 

STB Chief Executive Keith Tan said that the needs and expectations of travelers are changing significantly. He commented that as borders gradually reopen around the world, the tourism industry must work together to innovate, develop solutions and reimagine what the new travel experience can and should be. 

“With SingapoReimagine Global Conversations, we hope to provide a platform for such innovation, and a voice for leaders in the tourism sector and beyond,” said Tan.

SingapoReimagine Global Conversations is a key part of STB’s SingapoReimagine initiative, which was launched last year to affirm the destination’s commitment to shaping a new standard for travel, through safety, technology, experiences, and sustainability.

The series comprises three key forums, with overseas adaptations. The first forum titled ‘Reimagine Experiences’ is available on-demand in four video episodes released weekly on STB’s website and YouTube channel. The first episode under the first forum dropped on 8 September. 

The episodes will tap into the top minds in tourism and lifestyle, through a rich blend of interviews, rapid-fire questions, and data insights, to inspire new collaborations and ideas. 

The other two forums, ‘Reimagine Travel Journeys’ and ‘Reimagine Sustainability and Wellness’ will focus on the themes of travel journeys as well as sustainability and wellness, and will be introduced later this year and in the first half of 2022.

The new SingapoReimagine Global Conversations will spotlight different topics with speakers from across various industries, which include Felix Loh, CEO of Gardens by the Bay; Michael Lee, CEO of Hustle & Bustle; and Charu Kokate, principal & director of Safdie Architects; and Chong Siak Ching, CEO of National Gallery Singapore, among others. 

In the first episode, global trend forecaster and data partner WGSN unveils deeper insights into three future traveler profiles that will influence the future of the travel industry, as well as actionable steps for industry stakeholders. The three profiles are ‘The Wander Must’, ‘The Mindful Explorer’, and ‘The Slow Pacer’.

‘The Wander Must’ are the early adopters of technology and digital experiences, while ‘The Mindful Explorer’ are the nature and outdoor lovers who are likely to make sustainable choices. Meanwhile, ‘The Slow Pacer’ are travelers who place great importance on recharging and in seeking wellness destinations. 

The next episode, which will be released on 15 September is titled ‘A Whole New (Phygital) World’, which will discuss the convergence of digitalization and experiences to address the business needs of today and tomorrow. 

To further the discussion on reinventing the travel experience, SingapoReimagine Global Conversations will be rolled out in overseas markets in localized formats. The forum series will roll out in the USA and China in 2021, while in UK & Dubai, the series will be released in 2021-2022.