Singapore has become a captivating backdrop for numerous Bollywood blockbusters, such as Krrish, Badrinath ki Dulhania, Dear Zindagi, De Dana Dan, Pyaar Impossible!, and many more.
These films artfully capture the essence of the city by showcasing its iconic landmarks, creating a visual feast that piques viewers’ curiosity about the city. The dazzling cinematography not only entertains but also plugs audiences to immerse themselves in the city.
Tan explains, “While partnering with Bollywood movies, our focus is not solely on promoting travel rather our strategy is to captivate audiences before they even consider making travel plans.”
This approach aims to create a spark of interest and curiosity around the city.
“The focus is on creating desirability in the upper funnel, allowing customers to connect with the city organically”, he highlights.
In its recent campaign, the tourism body has collaborated with 45 SOCIAL restaurants across nine cities on Zomato, Pass Code Only (PCO Cocktail Bar) locations across Mumbai and Delhi, additionally with TwentySeven Bakehouse in Bandra, Mumbai.
They have curated a limited edition menu savouring the diverse culinary spirit of Singapore.
He says, “The campaigns in other countries were solely focused on social media and out-of-home(OOH) without any food elements. From a Skyscanner (search aggregator and travel agency) report, we witnessed that Indians love food during travel. Therefore we decided to make these collaborations.”
STB also offers a wide range of vegetarian dishes to appeal to Indian tourists.
The tourism board has also installed a 3D anamorphic installation at Phonix Palladium Mall in Lower Parel, Mumbai from March 7-25, 2024.
It is done by the board to provide a taste of experience to the visitors. STB has also partnered with content creators and influencers to target markets other than Mumbai.
“We’ve partnered with lifestyle media to invite their tastemakers and content creators to Singapore, encouraging them to capture and reinterpret the essence of Made in Singapore. This collaboration involves exploring various attractions, and museums of the city,” he mentions.
STB is also partnering with Thomas Cook (an Indian travel agency) and RMT for a promotional campaign. “The goal is to create a 360 degree-presence in the consumer engagement space. It’s about creating a gradual build-up, ensuring consumers consider exploring Singapore. Our approach is to weave the city into various aspects of consumer’s lives,” he adds.
Earlier, Indians used to travel to Singapore during the summer peak, or year-end mini-peak. However, according to Tan, the pattern is evolving, and the outbound travel market in terms of visitors from India is increasing rapidly.
“Singapore witnessed a significant number of Indian visitors during traditional peaks, representing various segments such as families, friends and different age groups,” he emphasises.
For the Singapore Tourism Board, the top country in terms of outbound travel is Indonesia-Malaysia, followed by China. India was at the top in 2019 but slipped to fifth position in 2023.
According to STB, they have spent huge investments in the Indian market in the last five or ten years. “Pre-Covid 19, Singapore approximately welcomed around 1.4 million Indian tourists. Till 2023, this accounts for nearly 75% of our numbers outpacing several major destinations that are not fully rebounded,” he adds.
There’s a huge interest in domestic travel in India, according to a report by Summer Vacation Index 2023, 82% of Indians intend to travel during the summer season. COVID-19 travel restriction-induced trend of rediscovering our own country.
Does STB see this as a challenge?
He answers, “Our approach to stand out in the competitive tourism landscape is rooted in understanding the diverse travel behaviour of Indians. We believe that individuals seek a balance between international and local designations.”
Regarding the target group of STB, they are targeting a wide spectrum of travellers from children, solo travellers, and groups of friends. “Our deep consumer studies have revealed that Indians while travelling exhibit a strong desire to learn and enrich themselves. This influenced our campaigns, such as Make in Singapore,” he says.
He emphasises that shopping in Singapore emerges as the top spending category for Indian travellers.
“Our target encompasses anyone with a passport, we are completing the 60th year of India-Singapore diplomatic ties, and the aim is to deepen the relationship, and 360-degree presence and we are inclined to consider Singapore as our next destination. Our approach goes beyond conventional marketing, recognising the importance of connections and subtle storytelling.”
STB’s primary goal is to drive the recovery of visitor arrivals in Singapore to pre-covid levels. “With direct access to 17 cities in India through various airlines including Singapore Airlines, Air India, Indigo, Air India Express and Vistara, the interest from both private and public sectors presents a promising opportunity for a swift recovery,” he mentions.
The board is looking forward to deepening engagements with local communities and travel agents, extending beyond metro cities. He adds that they are planning to conduct roadshows in cities like Chandigarh, Surat and Jaipur, and launch vernacular content to connect with a diverse audience.
