Singapore is gearing up to welcome back visitors, including those from Malaysia, through a slew of fresh and innovative experiences. Between January to April 2022, Singapore recorded more than 540,000 visitor arrivals globally, which was more than the 329,990 visitors the island-state received throughout 2021. Of these, 45,560 arrivals were from Malaysia, making it the 3rd largest source market so far this year1.
The number is expected to grow, with borders fully reopened in both countries, and travel demand picking up across the region. As of June 2022, there are direct flights to Singapore operating from 7 cities across Malaysia, namely: Ipoh, Kota Kinabalu, Kuala Lumpur, Kuching, Langkawi, Miri, and Penang.
To welcome travellers back to Singapore, the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) has launched SingapoReimagine, a campaign aimed at tourism recovery and showcasing the new and different experiences available, including new attractions, novel dining concepts, wellness retreats and sustainable experiences. The campaign was developed while taking into account the changing needs and aspirations of consumers around the world.
“Since the borders reopened, we have been encouraged by the positive response from Malaysian visitors. Malaysia has always been an important market for Singapore. Now that travel is so seamless, without quarantine or testing for fully vaccinated travellers, we welcome one and all to experience our new and reimagined offerings as part of our SingapoReimagine campaign, ” said Mr Lee Jian Xuan, Area Director, Malaysia and Brunei, STB.
1 The top two source markets for STB between January to April 2022 were India and Indonesia respectively.
Exciting campaigns with partners to entice visitors to Singapore
SingapoReimagine showcases a different side of what the city has to offer, from new and refreshed attractions and dining spots, to a variety of wellness and sustainable experiences. Visitors can look forward to new, unexpected and innovative experiences, alongside enhanced hygiene and safety measures.
To drive further visitation, STB Malaysia is working with partners such as the Mandai Wildlife Reserve to offer an exclusive 33% discount to Malaysian residents on admission tickets to three of its wildlife parks – Singapore Zoo, Night Safari and Jurong Bird Park with promo code – MY33OFF. The promotion is valid from 1 to 30 June 2022, Find out more at mandai.com/ticketing.
Additionally, Singapore Airlines is holding a Travel Fair promotion, with discounted all-in fares on return flights from 28 May to 6 June 2022 from Kuala Lumpur and Penang to Singapore. The all-in fares range from MYR450 for Economy class to MYR2,500 for Business class.
There are also plans with the airasia Super App to launch a campaign across the Southeast Asia region to drive more travellers to visit Singapore. STB had earlier signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with airasia in February 2022 to promote travel to Singapore and encourage travellers to experience Singapore through offerings on the airasia Super App.
STB has also collaborated with e-commerce company ShopBack on the ‘Singapore is Calling’ initiative which ran from 25 April to 8 May 2022, also involving key travel merchants Agoda and Booking.com. ShopBack users enjoyed a 15% upsized cashback when making bookings for Singapore via these platforms.
STB looks to showcase a different side of Singapore to consumers
Earlier in the year, STB Malaysia launched several marketing activities aimed at driving destination awareness among Malaysian consumers. One example is the content series “Hello from Singapore“, a 10-episode docu-series which offers an insider’s look into how industry players in Singapore are reimagining their businesses for travel. Some personalities featured include: Trase One, an early pioneer of the local street art scene; Pirakash T, Head of APAC, Museum of Ice Cream, a highly-anticipated ice-cream themed wonderland and Oniatta Effendi, founder of Baju by Oniatta, a clothing line dedicated to reimagining the region’s Batik fashion for the modern wardrobe, and more.
A four-part video series, “Chic in The City“, was also launched to share with audiences about the diverse retail offerings in Singapore. The webisodes follow Malaysian TV presenter and influencer Amanda Chaang, as she uncovers chic, unique finds in Singapore and finds out more about the “Made With Passion” initiative, which champions homegrown brands with a compelling Singapore story, from Fashion & Accessories, Design, Home & Decor, Beauty & Wellness and Food & Beverage.
To date, the latest season of ‘Hello from Singapore’ has had an online reach of 1,008,158. The ongoing “Chic in The City” series has had a total reach of 712,370.
In the coming months, STB Malaysia will roll out more media partnerships, engaging content creators and influencers in the market, to showcase the breadth and depth of reimagined tourism experiences in Singapore and showcase the country’s lesser-known side to consumers.
With the easing of restrictions and capacity limits, the focus will be on promoting cruise holidays, which are highly popular with Malaysian visitors, as well as attendance at leisure events and festivals in Singapore, such as the inaugural 10-day Wellness Festival running from June 3 to 12, the Singapore Food Festival in August, and the Singapore F1 Grand Prix in October.
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