The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) has announced a new initiative to reimagine travel for Singapore and the rest of the world, by sparking conversations, stories and ideas to collectively shape the future of our sector.

 

Called SingapoReimagine, the initiative will serve as an inclusive platform for the global and local tourism communities to share ideas on how to reset and revive tourism.

 

Chang Chee Pey, Assistant Chief Executive International Group, Singapore Tourism Board, announced this initiative at a press conference at the close of TravelRevive, a hybrid tradeshow to trial the newly developed protype for safe business events, safe itineraries. and digital enablers in Singapore.

 

“What is the future of travel?  We believe the answer starts here in Singapore.  Singapore welcomed more than 19 million visitors from around the world in 2019. And while those numbers will not return anytime soon, it has not stopped us from reaching out to our fans and working with our partner to lay down plans for recovery. As you move around our city today, you will notice our hotels, attractions and other businesses have strict set of safety measures in place and events such as TravelRevive have restarted again," Pey said. 

 

"Over the last few months we have sealed partnerships with the likes of AirBnb, Experiences, Expedia, Klook, MasterCard, Trip.com and Visa. We are looking at data sharing for post-pandemic insights identifying new segments and developing new products for the future travellers. We believe these travellers will come." 

 

"According to a recent study by Blackbox research, Singapore is one of the top post-pandemic destinations for travellers in Asia. Our own brand health study shows that 3 in 4 (76 per cent) leisure travellers and 9 in 10 busines travellers are likely to travel in the next 12 months. Both leisure and business travellers continue to perceive Singapore as a safe destination despite Covid-19. We cannot sit back and wait for life to go back to normal. Covid-19 has devastated our industry, but it has also given us a once in a lifetime opportunity to reset and reimagine what travel and tourism should be for the next generation. So this is why we have launched SingapoReimagine, a new initiative to reimage travel for Singapore and the rest of the world by sparking conversations, stories and ideas to collectively shape the future of the travel sector,” he said.

 

SingapoReimagine will kick off with “Reimagine Travel - Global Conversations”, a series of forums around the world to catalyse discussions on how to reshape global travel. For a start, STB will share our learnings on how the public and private sectors have come together to create new possibilities for our visitors. As part of the forums, global partners will be invited to share knowledge and exchange ideas, with the first one in Singapore next year before being hosted in other parts of the world.

 

Closer to home, STB will also roll out “Reimagine Travel in Singapore”, a series of engagements with passionate members of the local community and tourism partners to co-create ideas and spur the renewal of Singapore tourism. This complements the SingapoRediscovers domestic campaign, which encourages locals to rediscover and reconnect with Singapore’s hidden gems and experiences.

 

Both initiatives will be launched in 2021, and more details will be announced in due course.  

 

STB Chief Executive Mr Keith Tan said: “Covid-19 is the biggest crisis we have ever faced in travel and tourism. But it also offers us an opportunity to reset and revive our industries in ways that we never imagined was possible a year ago. The journey to reimagine travel has already started in Singapore, and we want to continue this journey with those whose voices matter – our community in Singapore, and our partners here and around the world. We look forward to co-creating ideas and strategies with all of them, to make travel better.” 

 

Under the same theme Reimagine, Singapore’s tourism sector sector has shown both resilience and ingenuity, and has ensured that every aspect of the visitors experience is safe, yet still as exciting as Singapore has always been.  

 

Some of these themes are:

 

Reimagine Safety - STB has been working closely with industry partners to elevate health and safety measures based on new national standards, so that future visitors can enjoy the city’s refreshed experiences with added peace of mind. Such initiatives include the SG Clean Quality mark, which requires tourism establishments to adhere to stringent levels of hygiene and sanitisation as well as Safe Management Measures (SMMs).

 

Reimagine Technology – Singapore aims to make travel safer yet seamless and efficient  using technology from the use of contactless technology and cleaning robots, to the TraceTogether app and token (the world’s first national digital contact tracing tool), Virtual experiences, hybrid meeting venues and events, and even robot baristas are now offered.  

 

And looking ahead, Singapore aims to be the world’s most sustainable urban destination and is investing in new products and pilots that take into account the needs of the community and the environment with Reimagine City & Nature. 

 

Some of STB’s stake holders in this initiative include Changi Airport,  Zouk Group, Andaz Singapore, and Marian Bay Sands. - TradeArabia News Service