The leading leisure and resort getaway in Singapore, Sentosa, has tied up with India’s leading travel agencies, Thomas Cook India and SOTC Travel with the objective to boost visitors from its largest source market.

Sentosa, Singapore’s premier island resort getaway and Asia’s leading leisure destination, has formed a strategic partnership with leading Indian travel companies, Thomas Cook India and SOTC Travel, in order to enhance engagement with the Indian market, which is already its largest source market. According to a press statement adds that Sentosa is all set to introduce a diverse array of leisure experiences to avid Indian travellers.

According to the statement, Chin Sak Hin, Assistant Chief Executive, Sentosa Development Corporation (SDC), is currently visiting India to strengthen SDC’s longstanding relationships with Indian trade partners to ensure that Sentosa is the preferred choice of destination for all Indian travellers to Singapore.

SDC says that currently India is its top source market for Sentosa and accounted for nearly a third of overseas visitors to Sentosa Island for the first half of 2023. To leverage this high growth potential, SDC has inked a one-year strategic partnerships with India’s leading omnichannel travel services company Thomas Cook (India) and its subsidiary SOTC Travel.

The statement adds that the Memorandum of Understanding signed between SDC and the Indian agencies aims to deepen the relationship between SDC and Thomas Cook and SOTC, highlight the range of discoveries in Sentosa and shore up Sentosa’s position as a top-of-mind destination.

The partnership will see SDC working closely with Thomas Cook and SOTC on activities such as product development, joint consumer promotions, as well as publicity to raise Sentosa’s profile in the India market, increase Sentosa’s capture rates of the India market particularly in Tier 2 and 3 cities, and grow visitorship to and spend on Sentosa Island. Both Thomas Cook and SOTC will also curate exclusive packages that feature the latest offerings in Sentosa.

The statement adds that the partnership is a timely and strategic move to refresh Sentosa’s brand image among Indian travellers, particularly as the island destination had repositioned itself earlier this year as an island of fulfilling experiences where discovery never ends. The new brand proposition presents opportunities and moments which allow guests to discover a new perspective while enjoying their time on Sentosa.

“As a key leisure destination in Singapore with a diverse range of experiences to be discovered, Sentosa remains a favourite for travellers from around the world. We hope that the partnership with Thomas Cook India and SOTC will further enable Indian travellers to discover new possibilities in Sentosa, whether it be enjoying leisure time with the family or participating in extraordinary MICE events on Sentosa’s shores. The Sentosa team will continue to collaborate with our valued travel and MICE trade partners in India and position Sentosa as a destination of choice as the tourism industry recovers,” says Sak Hin of SDC.

“Indians are travelling like never before! With short hauls and exciting experiential travel steering demand, Sentosa is perfectly poised to capture the strong and growing appetite from the India market. Our MoU with Sentosa Development Corporation hence aims to showcase the premier island getaway’s engaging and enriching experiences  to Indian families, multigenerational families, young India’s millennials Gen Z, couples, ad-hoc groups of friends, colleagues and our power driver, corporate MICE segment. Our strategic partnership with Sentosa will focus on extensive product curation, consumer engagement and promotions to drive visitations,” says Abraham Alapatt, President & Group Head, Marketing, Service Quality, Value Added Services & Innovation of Thomas Cook India.

“Singapore’s convenient e-visa and extensive air connectivity have served to drive demand for the premier island getaway of Sentosa,  its diversity of attractions and experiential elements making it a preferred destination for Indians. Our strategic partnership is aimed at deepening our relationship with Sentosa while creating vibrant products that appeal to our customers from across metros, mini metros, Tier 2 and 3 cities. To inspire demand, our joint marketing campaign intends to promote the destination across optimal media platforms,” says Daniel D’souza, President & Country Head, Holidays, SOTC Travel Limited.

The statement adds that Sentosa has pushed ahead with developments even amid the pandemic, and new discoveries await on the island, including attractions like the SkyHelix Sentosa, Scentopia, and Central Beach Bazaar. Apart from the anticipated return of KidZania Singapore in 2024, the latest offering being unveiled is the Shangri-La Group’s first standalone lifestyle and entertainment precinct, The Palawan@Sentosa, which soft launched on July 26 and redefines beach leisure and entertainment experiences, says the statement.

The new destination sprawls over 18300 sqm and features various new-to-Singapore leisure activities for guests of all ages including HyperDrive, an electric go-kart circuit with gamification features that immerses drivers into the world of real-life racing and virtual gaming around a three-level racetrack, and UltraGolf, an 18-hole mini golf course designed for everyone to put their putting skills to test. There are other facilities and venues for activities as well.

The statement adds that Sentosa’s unique island charm and natural setting allow for truly ‘out of the boardroom’ MICE experiences and ‘B-Leisure’ activities. SDC also works closely with the Singapore Tourism Board through programmes such as the Singapore MICE Advantage Programme (SMAP) and In Singapore Incentives & Rewards (INSPIRE), to bring MICE groups into Sentosa. This will continue to be key for Sentosa as MICE travel recovers. Under the programme, SDC and its businesses offer a range of complimentary experiences in Sentosa for eligible events, across dining, attractions, thematic-tours, and team-building experiences.

SDC is also working closely with the Singapore Tourism Board to promote Singapore and Sentosa as an ideal luxury wedding destination, leveraging Sentosa’s unique island environment and offerings. To this end, SDC is working with specialised Indian in-market destination wedding planners to enable the delivery of magical wedding events. To sweeten the deal for Indian couples looking to hold their wedding on Sentosa, SDC will work with businesses on the island and wedding planners to offer turnkey solutions as well as incentives which could range from complimentary pyrotechnic displays or drone light shows as wedding highlights.