Singapore tourism lacks "software"

CREATING a pipeline of unique and innovative content is one of the priorities set for Singapore’s tourism industry in the medium term, as the country seeks to sharpen its leisure and business event offerings in pursuit of quality growth.

Speaking at the annual Tourism Industry Conference yesterday, second minister for trade industry, S Iswaran, said that in order to differentiate Singapore in the midst of keen regional competition, it was imperative to develop “distinct content and programming”.

Singapore Tourism Board (STB) chief executive, Lionel Yeo, explained that this would entail the NTO working with travel consultants to “create more itineraries that are catered to discerning travellers”, meaning less of the mass-market, single-day tours but those that offer “deeper immersion”.

In line with this push, details of the new Kickstart Fund, which supports experimental lifestyle concepts with tourism potential, were outlined yesterday. Running from June 3 to March 2016, grants of up to 50 per cent of qualifying costs per project will be available, capped at a maximum of S$75,000 (US$60,457). Projects could range from art tours to live events.

Agencies can also leverage the existing Tourism Technology Fund in either their business processes or the creation of enhanced experiences.

In addition, STB will launch a series of workshops in July, which will see leading consultants engage with attraction players in master classes to develop more in-depth products.

While industry members generally felt that the high-yield direction taken by the government was a necessary one, not every one agreed on how to get there.

For STB’s Yeo, what was lacking was the “ability to tell a good story”, a similar point raised by Association of Singapore Attractions chairman, Kevin Cheong, who said “heartware” – providing heartfelt service and targeting the heart of the consumer ­– was key.

However, Chan Brothers Travel group managing director CEO, Anthony Chan, said that a master plan needed to be drawn up by STB to chart the resources, such as land and manpower, required by the tourism sector over the next decade.

- Read more in TTG Asia, May 3 issue

Singapore tourism lacks "software"