The roadshow series saw a robust line-up of some of Singapore’s most prominent attractions, hotels, tour operators, cruise lines & more
As part of its outreach in India, Singapore Tourism Board has completed a travel trade roadshow series in five key source cities – Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Pune, Hyderabad and Bangalore. Accompanied by an expansive list of delegates, the trade engagements were aimed at deepening Singapore Tourism’s existing partnerships and fostering new ones with tourism stakeholders and the local travel trade fraternity.
The roadshow series, themed Deepening Connections, Achieving Together!, saw a robust line-up of some of Singapore’s most prominent attractions, hotels, tour operators, cruise lines and destination management companies (DMCs). The strong turn-out from both Singapore tourism trade and local travel agents highlighted the commitment by both sides to recover Indian visitor-ship to Singapore.
Delegates such as spokespersons of the Singapore Tourism Board GB Srithar, Regional Director, India, Middle East, South Asia & Africa, Renjie Wong, Area Director, India, Middle-East and South Asia and Raymond Lim, Area Director attended the event, says a press release issued by STB in India.
Since Singapore reopened to quarantine-free travel in April, the country has received over 1.5 million visitors in the first half of 2022, which is 12 times more than it received for the same period last year. India has emerged as Singapore’s second largest source market, with more than 219,000 Indian visitor arrivals in the first half of the year alone, signalling a steady and optimistic path towards recovery.
According to the press release this was STB’s first multi-city roadshow together with Singapore tourism stakeholders since the outbreak of the pandemic. The roadshow builds on STB’s trade outreach efforts earlier in the year – including SATTE 2022 (Delhi-NCR), OTM 2022 (Mumbai) and multi-city product update sessions held in April.
The Singapore Tourism Board & delegation presented the city’s new and reimagined offerings. These include the immersive and highly stunning Museum of Ice Cream, and SkyHelix Sentosa, Singapore’s first open-air panoramic attraction that allows visitors scenic views of Sentosa and the Southern Waterfront. Adding to the momentum of these new offerings, Singapore also has an action-packed line-up of blockbuster experiences slated to open in the coming months, including Gardens by the Bay’s immersive Avatar: The Experience at the Cloud Forest, based on much-anticipated sequel to the hit 2009 sci-fi film Avatar.
For Indian cruise holiday makers, more cruising options are now available, including international port calls in neighbouring cities. Indians will now be able to enjoy sailing onboard the Royal Caribbean International’s Quantum-ultra class ship, Spectrum of the Seas or Resorts World Cruises’ ultimate cruise adventure aboard its Genting Dream ship. On the MICE front, the STB offers attractive schemes group travel, enabling corporates to enjoy new experiences in dining and attractions to thematic tours and team building activities.
“After more than two years, it heartens us to welcome again Indian travellers to Singapore in good numbers and see them enjoy both familiar favourites and our new, reimagined experiences. Pune continues to be an important source city in terms of tourist arrivals to Singapore. With this roadshow, we aim to continue the growth momentum by communicating the message to our audience that Singapore is open, and by welcoming back travellers for memorable holidays. We were happy to reconnect with our partner-friends in Pune and invite their clients to come, enjoy in Singapore,” says Srithar of Singapore Tourism Board.
“Sentosa is rolling out a diverse range of commemorative experiences as we celebrate our 50th anniversary this year. In line with our Golden Jubilee theme “Discovery Neverending”, we welcome guests to celebrate the diverse facets of the island, including lesser-known and new leisure experiences, thereby uncovering the evolution of Sentosa. Following a series of new attraction launches, a unique carnival beach experience known as the Central Beach Bazaar will be unveiled at the heart of Sentosa’s beaches in September. This will feature a new Sentosa Musical Fountain, a Sentosa SkyJet and the International Food Street with Indian vegetarian offerings,” says Alice Thong, Assistant Director, International Leisure, Sentosa Development Corporation.
Jean Choi, Chief of Sales and Marketing at Mandai Wildlife Group spoke of the wildlife parks at Mandai Wildlife Reserve that offer unique windows to the wild. As Singapore Zoo is preparing to celebrate its golden jubilee next year, visitors will have many new experiences to look forward to, he added.
