Singapore Tourism Board shows off new lures in India

New schemes to support MICE and cruise groups from India, upcoming attractions and intentions to court the niche segments of Indian weddings and school groups formed the bulk of the messaging conveyed by the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) at its participating in SATTE Delhi 2020, as it sought to keep up its travel trade outreach in the marketplace.

During the tradeshow, STB had set up a Singapore: Passion Made Possible pavilion where it presented on its schemes for MICE and Cruise to partner with the tourism sector in harnessing growth opportunities, as well as latest and upcoming developments in Singapore’s tourism landscape such as expansion plans for Marina Bay Sands and Resorts World, redevelopment of Sentosa together with Pulau Brani as part of a landmark Master Plan, and the Mandai eco-tourism hub.

The theme Growing Connections, Achieving Together was adopted to emphasise the tourism bureau’s commitment to deepening the existing partnerships with Indian tourism stakeholders and fostering new ones.

Two new focus areas for the India market in 2020 were also revealed – positioning Singapore as an international wedding destination and re-establishing the destination’s attractiveness for Overseas School Trips.

The delegation was led by G B Srithar, STB’s regional director, India, Middle East & South Asia; Raymond Lim, area director, India & South Asia – New Delhi; and Lim Si Ting, area director, India & South Asia – Mumbai.

While speaking about the STB’s efforts to showcase Singapore as a destination of choice among Indian travellers, Srithar said: “India is the third most important visitor arrival source market for Singapore, and we have been steadfastly engaging travellers through the travel trade, media partnerships and various marketing initiatives.

“Through our recently-held roadshow in Chennai and participation at SATTE Delhi 2020, we seek to renew our ties with the travel trade, entrench existing partnerships and forge new ones through creative promotions, and in the process, ensuring meaningful results for both our Singapore stakeholders and the local travel trade.”

Singapore welcomed 1.44 million visitors from India in 2018, making it the third-largest visitor arrivals source market for Singapore. As of end-October 2019, Singapore has received 1.19 million visitors from India.

India also continues to be Sentosa’s top inbound market, according to Mira Bharin, director (brand, marketing and communications), Sentosa Development Corporation (SDC), who was present at the tradeshow.

Among various new offerings in Sentosa’s pipeline are free interactive night attractions, Magical Shores, which will make its home on Siloso Beach from January 23, 2020; as well as Stacks at Siloso, a mixed-use container development at Siloso Beach, which will launch by mid-2020.

These offerings are part of SDC’s broader push to strengthen Sentosa’s position as a night destination, and come just months after SDC unveiled plans to redevelop Sentosa and the adjacent Pulau Brani into a “game-changing leisure and tourism destination” as part of a landmark Master Plan.

In 2019, STB undertook intensive travel trade outreach efforts across more than 30 cities in India to connect with travel intermediaries promoting Singapore as both a business and leisure destination.