‘Singapore Tourism continuously engaging consumers by leveraging technology and digital medium’
Although travel restrictions are still in place, it is an important time for travel authorities to drive higher consumer engagement than ever before. Over the last few years, the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) has promoted our destination brand ‘Passion Made Possible’ and increasingly used digital marketing to present Singapore’s diverse offerings to audiences across India.
In April 2020, we launched an online edutainment series ‘Try this at home, Tips from Singapore’ which features Singaporean personalities such as sneaker artist Mark Ong; cook, food writer and television host Sarah Huang Benjamin; artist Tan Zi Xi; and Peranakan kebaya makers, brothers Raymond and Edmond Wong; mixologist Vijay Mudaliar and Teochew Opera artist Tan Wei Tian. The six-part series released on STB’s YouTube, Facebook and Instagram have these personalities completing various tasks assigned to them in a fun and insightful way. Through these videos, we hope to inspire viewers to explore and develop their passions.
Another interesting activation that we did was with Asia’s iconic nightclub Zouk Singapore to organise Zouk Phuturescapes – a series of virtual parties for audiences across many countries including India. We took virtual parties to the next level by reinventing the existing entertainment and nightlife concept, engaging audiences at home through a curated line-up of local and international DJs and musicians, as well as innovative technology elements such as augmented reality filters and 3D virtual backgrounds.
Continuing our efforts on innovative and effective ways to reach out to the Indian consumers, we partnered with Zomato for ‘Zomaland@home’ - a digital weekend festival which featured renowned artists from both India and Singapore showcasing their talents and passions across food, music, stand– up comedy and more. As a part of its promotions, we also collaborated with a few social media personalities in India, from stand-up comedians to music and culinary artistes, through lively interactive sessions with like-minded talent from Singapore.
One of Singapore’s key tourism players, Sentosa Development Corporation (SDC), also launched an initiative which recreates the popular Sentosa island within the Nintendo Switch game ‘Animal Crossing: New Horizons’. In May 2020, SDC invited people to visit #VirtualSentosa and explore a recreation of Sentosa – from beach bars to nature trails and even a spot for some yoga by the beach. SDC even hosted a virtual wedding celebration in the game for a Singaporean couple who had to postpone their physical wedding ceremony.
This year, the ‘Singapore Food Festival (SFF)’ will also engage audiences virtually. Themed ‘Rediscover the Foodie in You’, SFF 2020 - an event dedicated to Singapore cuisine and F&B talents - will see more than 25 F&B partners serving up gastronomic experiences for festival goers to enjoy at home.
We also ramped up our trade engagement efforts through a series of update sessions on Destination Singapore with our partners to upskill their leisure and MICE product knowledge. STB India has also undertaken the #UnitedWeStand trade initiative and shared a video message to show solidarity and unity with the travel fraternity in these trying times. We also organised a webinar titled ‘Singapore Tourism Connects – Panel Discussion and Product Update’ in May 2020 to share updates on the various initiatives and efforts in Singapore.