Manila, Philippines – Global digital payments company Visa has launched its latest resource offerings to assist Filipino merchants, especially small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs).
Taking full advantage of Visa’s digital payment solutions, this online toolkit aims to optimise the customer shopping experience and increase sales, particularly in the Philippine tourism sector.
This is part of Visa’s commitment to empower Filipino SMEs and boost tourism, a crucial growth sector for the economy, by helping more merchants offer seamless contactless payments.
The SME online toolkit offers merchants detailed, step-by-step instructions in English, including a script for cashiers on how to initiate and complete digital payment transactions.
The toolkit describes how most Visa cards have the contactless feature as identified by the symbol and includes instructions on how customers can tap the terminal with their card themselves to make payments.
Additionally, this toolkit offering from Visa comes alongside its other efforts to promote tourism in the Philippines, with its participation in the Philippine Department of Tourism’s tourism summit as a panel, as well as a partnership with the Pacific Association of Tourism (PATA) wherein Visa led a workshop trained tourism SMEs on financial, risk management, digital skills, and highlighting digital payments preferred by tourists.
Talking about this initiative, Jeff Navarro, country manager for Visa Philippines, said, “Visa is committed to empowering businesses with the latest payment technologies and enabling contactless payments to support the growth of tourism in the Philippines. With Visa’s new SME online toolkit, we hope to facilitate the widespread adoption of digital payments among SMEs, addressing the needs of the travel ecosystem and aligning with the preferences of today’s travellers.”
Tag: Tourism
Singapore – Southeast Asia has once again emerged as the world’s leading Muslim tourist destination, with Indonesia and Malaysia tied for the top spot among 145 global destinations. This is according to the latest edition of the Mastercard-CrescentRating Global Muslim Travel Index (GMTI).
The report noted that Indonesia and Malaysia both ranked in the list of leading destinations by the Non-Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), as well as scoring favourably on ease of entry and quality of tourism infrastructure for both Muslim and non-Muslim travellers.
It is also worth noting that Singapore has consistently led among OIC destinations for the ninth consecutive year, underscoring its unwavering dedication to cater to Muslim travelers by widespread availability of Halal food, prayer facilities, suitable airport amenities, and Muslim-friendly accommodation.
Moreover, Thailand maintained its position in the top five non-OIC destinations, owing to efforts towards promoting Halal tourism like increasing Halal food availability, integration of Muslim-friendly amenities at tourist spots, and enhanced accommodation and dining options for Muslim travelers.
In addition, the Philippines recorded an increase in its score on communications compared to 2023. Among non-OIC destinations, the Philippines has steadily increased its appeal to Muslim tourists by strategically developing their Halal Tourism portfolio, enhancing halal accreditation of hotels and restaurants, and conducting Halal awareness orientations.
According to the report, the Muslim travel market is set for a significant uptick this year, with global international arrivals potentially reaching up to 168 million, exceeding pre-pandemic levels by as much as 5%.
This growth in volume highlights the rising prominence of the segment, driven by demographic and economic expansion, cultural and Halal tourism development, and technological advancements that enable more personalized travel experiences for Muslim travelers, such as apps that locate Halal food outlets, Qibla directions, and prayer timings. The impact of artificial intelligence is also helping further customize travel experiences to simplify travel logistics while adhering to faith traditions.
Safdar Khan, division president of Southeast Asia at Mastercard, said, “According to the latest report from the Mastercard Economics Institute (MEI), travellers from and to Southeast Asia are becoming increasingly focused on getting the best value from their trips to ensure the most unforgettable experiences, a shift echoed in the rapidly growing global Halal tourism industry. At the same time, technology is helping this demographic to travel in ways that meet their unique needs, from AI-powered hyper-personalized experiences to Mastercard’s own enablement of easy and secure cross-border payments.”
He added, “Together this heralds a new level of convenience for Muslim travellers and unlocks a new era of growth and profitability for travel operators. Mastercard’s long-running collaboration with CrescentRating is both a testament to the strength of the partnership and the ongoing importance of understanding and serving Muslim travellers.”
Meanwhile, Fazal Bahardeen, founder and CEO at CrescentRating, commented, “It is encouraging to see that the travel sectors in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore not only maintained their rankings in this year’s GMTI, but also improved their individual scores. This reflects a broader trend of increased consideration for Muslim travellers, with average scores across the Index rising by 10%.”
He added, “It is also positive to see the Philippines continue to improve its score, which demonstrates the unwavering commitment of the Department of Tourism to bolstering Muslim-friendly tourism and advancing the destination’s appeal. As Muslim travel continues to gain momentum, the GMTI 2024 report provides invaluable insights for stakeholders across the travel and tourism sector to leverage the growing Muslim travel market.”
Bangkok, Thailand – Traveloka has established a strategic agreement with Filipino carrier Cebu Pacific (CEB) to bring more Thai and Southeast Asian travellers to the Philippines. This cooperation will create an application programming interface that will allow inbound travellers to explore CEB flights using the Traveloka app.
This initiative is expected to positively contribute to the growth of Philippine tourism by making it easier for Thai and Southeast Asian tourists to explore the country’s exciting destinations. It is in line with Traveloka’s commitment to helping the tourism industry in Southeast Asia recover from the pandemic.
The tourist industry in the Philippines continues to develop every year. Over 5.4 million foreign visitors were registered by the Philippine Department of Tourism in 2023, and 7.7 million are anticipated by 2024.
In the meantime, compared to the prior year, Traveloka saw a 2.5-fold rise in searches for the top five airports in the Philippines in 2024. Traveloka’s top five travel destinations in the Philippines are Manila, Laguindingan, Cebu, Davao, Boracay, and Palawan.
Speaking about the partnership, Iko Putera, CEO of Transport Traveloka, said, “Traveloka understands the Philippines’ vast potential for sustainable tourism growth. Therefore, we invite travellers from Thailand and Southeast Asia to discover new experiences in the Philippines. Our partnership with Cebu Pacific, one of the premier and most affordable airlines for the Philippines, will provide diverse possibilities for travellers and spearhead innovation to deliver optimal solutions for customers. We will also contribute to growth within the tourism industry in the Philippines and the wider region.”
Meanwhile, Xander Lao, president and chief commercial officer of Cebu Pacific, expressed, “We are delighted to collaborate with Traveloka to support the local tourism industry and make travelling to the Philippines much easier. The Philippines is home to some of the world’s best beaches, stunning landscapes, and rich cultural heritage. We encourage travellers from all over the world to fly with Cebu Pacific and experience the beauty of our country, now made more accessible through our partnership with Traveloka.”
After more than two years since the mandate was first awarded to them, GOVT Singapore has recently announced that Sentosa Development Corporation (SDC) has extended its existing creative and digital mandate with them for three more years. In this extended mandate, part of the agency strategy for the brand as well is working with WE Red Bridge for social and communications consultancy covering the China market.
For our latest Top Story feature, we spoke with Timothy Chan, executive creative director and partner at GOVT Singapore to learn more about this extended mandate, reflections on their past works with SDC, and what this three-year extension means for them as an agency.
Reflecting on past work and the future ahead
One of the key works GOVT Singapore had with Sentosa was its brand refresh, done within a span of six months. In said work, the agency endeavoured to change the tagline from ‘State of Fun’ which has been in use since 2014, to ‘Where discovery never ends’. For GOVT back then, the new brand identity draws inspiration from the island’s many unexpected sights, sounds, and experiences at every turn.
“When we refreshed the Sentosa brand to go from “fun” to “discovery”, it was a pivotal moment. We had one chance to hit the nail on the head, and we’re pretty proud of the end product. More importantly, the brand positioning of ‘Where discovery never ends’ was also a result of intense collaboration between all the agencies and the clients. So it was satisfying to see it come to life,” Chan stated.
Another campaign GOVT Singapore did with Sentosa was ‘SentosaLand’, a fantastical version of the island in the metaverse on Roblox, a popular sandbox game. The experience, launched in part of the brand refresh effort, takes existing elements from its counterpart’s physical attractions and gives them a more fantastical twist.
“One where virtual discoveries led to rewards on the island. Niche as it may seem, we still got 87 million impressions and 5,000 hours of playtime,” he remarked.
When asked why as part of their extended mandate, focus on the Chinese market was taken into consideration, Chan stated, “To be a world-class brand, brand Sentosa needs to be famous globally. So yes, to that end, giving international visitors great experiences is crucial. And of course, this includes visitors from China.”
He further added. “Plus, the time is right to ramp up our efforts too. In February of this year alone, more than 327,000 visitors arrived in Singapore from China. Which is about 96% of pre-COVID levels in 2019. So while other parts of the world are still waiting for Chinese travelers to return, Singapore is well-positioned to capture them.
On learning curves and demands
For Chan, given that SDC’s status as a world-class destination for visitors globally, marketing a destination brand proved to challenging from the get-go–and that there are three over-compassing learning curves and demands that GOVT Singapore has learned: radical collaboration, stakeholder management, and the work being the proof of a successful agency mandate partnership.
“We’ve always practiced this with all our clients, so SDC is no different. And it’s a formula that works. We spend an unreasonable amount of time building relationships with the entire marketing team, and beyond. It helps us prepare sharper briefs and as a result, better work. Like any organisation, SDC has stakeholders from different backgrounds and demands. Helping our clients manage them is another important ingredient to our partnership. It’s how we can feel like an extension of SDC’s marketing team, instead of just a vendor,” Chan explained.
He added, “When we look back, I’d say that the work has been good, but it can be even better. Especially with the foundations we’ve laid. Single-mindedly, that’s what we’re aiming to do.”
Chan also notes that this renewed mandate must give the agency a rejuvenated vigour to be even better for Sentosa.
“The pitch win was important mentally for the agency. It helped us prove to everyone (and even more so, ourselves) that we’re the right long-term partners for the brand. It was a crucial test for us to pass. But it’s definitely not business as usual now. We’re working on ways to strengthen the relationship, refresh the team, plug the gaps and ultimately, make the work even better. A world-class brand like Sentosa deserves world-class work,” he concluded.
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – The Malaysia Aviation Group Bhd (MAG) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Tourism Malaysia to form a three-year cooperation aimed at increasing the country’s visitor arrival targets.
The memorandum of understanding will open the door for the creation and implementation of a three-year partnership program in key foreign markets. This is more than a leisure passenger initiative; it also includes transit passengers and meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibits (MICE). Furthermore, the collaboration will function as the foundation for Malaysia Airlines’ Bonus Side Trip (BST) program, which grants travellers a free journey to a domestic location on the Malaysia Airlines network.
The country’s Visit Malaysia Year 2026 (VMY2026) program aims to generate target receipts of RM147.1 billion, of which 35.6 million tourists are expected to arrive. Malaysia hopes to welcome 27.3 million tourists this year, with a RM102.7 billion tourism budget.
Speaking about the partnership, Ahmad Luqman Mohd Azmi, MAG chief executive officer of airlines, said, “We look forward working with Tourism Malaysia, leveraging our strengths as a national carrier and aviation hub to pursue sustainable traffic growth in an increasingly competitive landscape.”
He added, “With our strong network and track record of working with partners through trade and consumer initiatives, we’re well-placed to support the nation’s tourism ambitions. This partnership reinforces MAG’s commitment to supporting the goals of Visit Malaysia Year 2026 (VMY2026) through positioning Malaysia as the gateway for Asia and beyond.”
Meanwhile, Manoharan Periasamy, Tourism Malaysia Director-General, said, “More joint activities are planned, including familiarisation trips to Malaysia, marketing promotional activities, and advertising campaigns to feature Malaysia as a preferred holiday destination on the global stage.”
Singapore – Continuing on its ‘Passion Made Possible’ destination brand campaign, the Singapore Tourism Board has launched a global campaign bringing the island-nation to life with larger-than-life 3D billboards in the cities of New York, London, Shanghai, Mumbai and Jakarta.
The campaign, executed alongside BBH Singapore and The Shophouse @ Publicis, features the 3D out-of-home billboard that shine the spotlight on some of the country’s unique and multifaceted offerings and provides a whimsical take on three iconic Singapore experiences.
Choo Huei Miin, director of brand at Singapore Tourism Board, said, “Leveraging these immersive 3D out-of-home billboards, our aim was to capture the imagination of our travellers through transforming everyday moments into unique experiences Singapore has to offer to inspire travel. We hope this visual treat showcases the best of destination Singapore to the world and captivates audiences in key target markets with our vibrant culture, food, nature, and show-stopping futuristic landscapes.”
Meanwhile, Khairul Mondzi, executive creative director at BBH Singapore, commented, “This ‘global tour’ unveils to the world the essence of Singapore through a collection of experiences – iconic and lesser-known alike – in an unexpected, surprising way. Forget what you know about gardens, window shopping and performance art: STB’s new 3D billboards might surprise you in ways beyond the ordinary.”
Malaysia – Tourism Malaysia London has enlisted UK-based ATW Travel Marketing as its official PR agency to handle the promotion of their Visit Malaysia 2026 campaign.
This collaboration marks Tourism Malaysia London’s first dedicated partnership with a PR agency since the pandemic, reflecting a hopeful resurgence in the nation’s tourism sector.
The PR agency’s remit includes crafting and executing a comprehensive PR strategy to raise awareness and bring attention to Visit Malaysia Year 2026. ATW Travel Marketing will work to generate favourable media coverage and encourage tourists to explore the vibrant beauty of Malaysia.
The Visit Malaysia Year 2026 campaign is Malaysia’s national endeavour to revitalise the country’s tourism, which was heavily affected by the pandemic. It will showcase Malaysia’s rich cultural tapestry, breathtaking natural wonders, and unparalleled experiences to travellers around the world.
The Malaysian government has already set targets to enhance the country’s tourism, both domestically and internationally. There will also be assistance provided to more than 200 cultural enthusiasts to help arrange artistic and cultural activities.
Noran Ujang, director of Tourism Malaysia London, said, “We are excited to collaborate with ATW Travel Marketing to boost our efforts further as we prepare for Visit Malaysia Year 2026. Their extensive experience and proven track record in the travel and tourism industry make them the ideal partner to help us showcase Malaysia’s diverse offerings. We welcome travellers to explore Malaysia’s rainforests, mountains, and pristine beaches. We aim to showcase Malaysia’s cultural diversity and natural beauty to captivate travellers and foster a deeper appreciation for our rich heritage.”
Hannah Filer, managing director of ATW Travel Marketing, also shared, “We are honoured to be selected as Tourism Malaysia’s official PR agency. Drawing on our extensive travel experience and deep understanding of Malaysia, we’ll craft captivating campaigns that ignite wanderlust and showcase the magic of this extraordinary destination. We’ll delve into diverse experiences like its captivating cuisine, sustainable travel options, and unique niche packages, from archaeological adventures to diving experiences, highlighting why Malaysia is a must-visit destination.”
Singapore – The Ascott Limited, the lodging business unit under CapitaLand Investment, announced the launch of ‘Ascott Unlimited’, a year-long medley of initiatives to mark its ambitions to break new ground as it celebrates 40 years in hospitality service.
This launch signifies a new era for Ascott, as the hospitality company navigates a future of unlimited possibilities against a backdrop of global change and evolving perspectives of travel.
Aiming to transcend traditional limits, Ascott embarks on a transformative journey to go ‘unlimited’ for its guests, owners, partners, and associates.
Going on this route, Ascott promises unlimited opportunities by delivering enhanced value to owners and investors, while providing career growth opportunities for associates, as well as allowing for unlimited choices, with a myriad of stay experiences for guests, whatever the purpose of travel and wherever the destinations may be.
Additionally, Ascott also offers owners with a flex-hybrid hotel-in-residence model that allows for a flexible and free stay, whilst committing to a culture of care and hospitality, backed by a spirit of innovation to do good in the future of travel.
Commemorating this milestone, a campaign microsite features the latest updates on events, offers and happenings that guests may enjoy or participate in. An interactive game also allows guests to put their knowledge on Ascott to the test, with a chance to win stay vouchers and reward points to unleash their wanderlust.
Talking about the campaign, Kevin Goh, chief executive officer for Ascott and CLI Lodging, said, “2024 will be our launchpad – one that will propel Ascott into an era of greater ambition, as we go unlimited. Unlimited with enhanced value for our owners, unlimited with myriad experiences for our guests, and unlimited with growth opportunities for our associates.”
Meanwhile, Tan Bee Leng, chief commercial officer at Ascott, commented, As we go Unlimited, we are excited to be launching initiatives that have been curated to deliver one-of-a-kind stay experiences for our guests. This will be exemplified in everything we do – from free night stays and complimentary membership tier upgrades to signature experiences and programmes unique to each brand. All to ensure our guests unlock a gateway to unlimited possibilities, wherever they are in the world.”
Australia – As generative AI continues to be a trend amongst new creative campaigns, Tourism Tasmania has launched a new campaign where they launched an image generator–except that in this case, they actually tapped local Tasmanian artists to turn people’s prompts into actual original art.
The campaign, conceptualised by BMF and Orchard, Tourism Tasmania launched a new platform that invites people to turn their weird and wonderful ideas into very real art, created by very real Tasmanian artists to highlight the Tasmanian way of life and the reasons to visit; it’s craft, passion, realness, and authenticity.
For this campaign, the tourism agency collaborated with nine Tasmanian artists with backgrounds in ceramics, acrylics, oil and crayon, and allowing people to submit their most inspired prompts coupled with a Tasmanian location via the TasmanAi website, in the hopes of receiving their very own, unique, Tasmanian artwork.
Lindene Cleary, chief marketing officer at Tourism Tasmania, said, “TasmanAi is about highlighting what makes Tasmania different. While AI has its place in the world, the Tasmanian way of life is authentic and creative, where producing original art with meaning takes time, soul, and humanity.”
She added, “These are the things visitors will experience on a holiday in Tasmania – they ‘come down for air’ by slowing down, seeing the beauty beyond the surface, and making real connections. And of course, having a little fun.”
Meanwhile, Casey Schweikert, creative director at BMF, commented, “AI is great, but why let robots have all the fun? We’re excited to remind Australians that Tasmania is the most inspiring place on earth and prove just how creative us meatbags can be. After all, databases of stolen jpegs are no match for Tasmania’s wealth of artistic talent and wildly stimulating views.”
The campaign is drive by HAVAS Red for PR and Starcom for media, and is launched with an online video, in social, and through PR and artist activations.
Singapore – The Singapore Tourism Board (STB), Marina Bay Sands, and UOB have spearheaded a first-of-its-kind partnership to enliven the Marina Bay precinct for locals and tourists. This partnership will focus on introducing appealing lifestyle and entertainment programming for the Bay.
These includes the launch of over 50 exclusive experiences across hotels, attractions, retail shops and dining establishments, in partnership with more than 19 precinct stakeholders.
In addition, this builds on the marketing efforts of all three parties – including STB’s Made in Singapore global brand campaign, Marina Bay Sands’ Bay Precinct Strategy, and UOB’s strategy to provide exclusive access to the best travel, shop, dine and entertainment events across ASEAN – to form a compelling tourism narrative for visitors.
Alongside these engaging programming, this partnership will include a marketing campaign “Masterpieces. Made in Singapore,” leveraging STB’s global campaign that highlights how the ordinary is made extraordinary through a rich tapestry of unique and unexpected experiences made possible only in Singapore.
The campaign communications will go out to key source markets such as Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam, and post-arrival visitors already in Singapore.
Kenneth Lim, assistant chief executive of marketing group at Singapore Tourism Board, said, “We are delighted to partner with Marina Bay Sands and UOB to collaborate with the wider Marina Bay precinct partners to enhance the vibrancy of the Marina Bay precinct by offering a series of unique experiences for visitors to enjoy. This partnership aims to excite and inspire our visitors to explore more of what Singapore has to offer.”
Meanwhile, Irene Lin, senior vice president and chief marketing officer (resort marketing) at Marina Bay Sands, commented, “The Marina Bay precinct has the potential to be a canvas for cutting-edge lifestyle programming, with its diversity of hotel, attractions, retail and dining partners located in close proximity to our integrated resort. The partnership with STB and UOB allows us to further develop our first-in-class Bay Precinct Strategy, which offers business travellers a richer and varied bleisure experience.”
Lastly, Jacquelyn Tan, UOB’s Head of Group Personal Financial Services, said, “UOB is honoured to be a part of this groundbreaking partnership. As the leader in billings for consumer credit cards in ASEAN, we look forward to offering our cardholders across the region an unforgettable experience at the Marina Bay precinct. Whether it be dining, attractions, retail or entertainment, UOB is proud to showcase Singapore’s finest offerings through this partnership.”
The partnership takes flight in February with a spectacular waterfront drone light show at the Bay, in celebration of Lunar New Year. Titled “The Legend of the Dragon Gate”, the show will present the story of the mythical Dragon King, brought to life through 1,500 drones set against the iconic Singapore skyline. Themes of family reunion and perseverance, as well as symbols of luck and prosperity, will feature prominently in the show.
In addition, to complement the drone extravaganza and further enrich the visitor experience around the Bay, the three partners have curated attractive promotions for UOB cardholders in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.