Asia Pacific’s first international travel tradeshow TravelRevive opens in Singapore

Singapore, 25 November 2020 –TravelRevive, powered by ITB Asia and Singapore Tourism Board (STB), opened today at the Sands Expo & Convention Centre. Leading the way with rigorous protocols and innovative solutions for the end-to-end visitor journey, TravelRevive is the first pilot tradeshow to trial the newly developed ‘hybrid event’ tradeshow prototype for safe business events, safe itineraries, and digital enablers in Singapore. This is part of a public-private collaboration under the Emerging Stronger Taskforce (EST)’s¹ Singapore Together Alliance for Action (AfA) on Enabling Safe and Innovative Visitor Experiences².

TravelRevive is the first international travel tradeshow to take place physically in Asia Pacific during COVID-19, with both local and foreign attendees and exhibitors. A total of close to 1,000 local and international attendees will come together on-site over the next two days to exchange ideas, bridge knowledge gaps, and reimagine the future of travel. Alongside TravelRevive, STB, International Association of Exhibitions and Events (IAEE), and the Singapore Association of Convention & exhibition Organisers & Suppliers (SACEOS) will also co-organise the IAEE Asia Hybrid Forum and SMFX x MICE Connect Forum on 26 November 2020. These events are specially curated, with panel discussions, masterclasses and updates on the Industry Resilience Roadmap, a joint initiative between STB, ESG and SACEOS. Attended by local stakeholders as well as ASEAN and global MICE associations, both events are platforms for ideas and knowledge exchange to reimagine the future of MICE events.

Besides live sessions, TravelRevive features on-demand components that are accessible to delegates joining via the ITB Community in Asia online platform too.

Enhanced safety measures for all

Various measures have been taken to ensure the safety and well-being of attendees at TravelRevive, including:

• Safe management measures for every stage of an event attendee’s journey (pre- to post-event).

• Crowd density control and cohorting of attendees.

• 18sqm booths complemented with 9sqm meeting pods that are equipped with protective plexi-glass to facilitate safe one-to-one meetings between exhibitors and buyers.

• The use of TraceTogether to facilitate contact tracing for international visitors.

• The launch of an online diary mobile app to safely arrange one-to-one meetings between exhibitors and buyers.

To prepare Singapore for the phased resumption of leisure travel, STB has also been working closely with industry stakeholders to establish a framework to guide tourism businesses, including travel agents, in developing safe itineraries.

Safe itineraries have been specially curated for all delegates to offer them an assurance of safety, and cater experiences that are authentic, bespoke and personalised. These include virtual tours with hands-on activities that delegates can participate in from their hotel rooms, private museum site visits, and even a guided site visit to a Kelong (an offshore wooden platform used primarily for fish farming).

Changi Airport Group (CAG), under the auspices of the AfA on Enabling Safe and Innovative Visitor Experiences, has also developed a working prototype called the Safe Travel Concierge (STC). This is an online tool to help travellers manage their visits by customising a travel checklist of pre-entry requirements to fulfil before entering Singapore[3], from the SafeTravel Pass application to the swab tests conducted at the airport. The STC will also help guests remain in their cohorts at all times, including when attending activities as part of their safe itineraries after TravelRevive.

The AfA on Enabling Safe and Innovative Visitor Experiences will study the findings and data from TravelRevive to refine the safe management measures and best practices for MICE events and leisure travel progressively.

Speaking at the opening of TravelRevive, Mr Chan Chun Sing, Minister for Trade and Industry (Singapore) said, “Amidst the disruptions inflicted by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Singapore government is committed to working with our industry partners to reinforce the resilience of the MICE sector and doing  more to catalyse the revival of our tourism industry in a safe manner. We will support the industry in reimagining the entire visitor experience to emerge stronger and solidify our position as a global and regional business hub.”

Ms Kwee Wei Lin, Co-Lead of the EST AfA on Enabling Safe and Innovative Visitor Experiences, Head of Hotels (Singapore), Pontiac Land Group, President, Singapore Hotel Association – “We are thrilled that TravelRevive has come to life after months of hard work and close collaboration between the public and private sectors. We hope it will lay a sustainable foundation for the future of business events, and pave the way for a safe and seamless end-to-end experience for visitors to Singapore.”

Ms Katrina Leung, Managing Director, Messe Berlin (Singapore) – organiser of ITB Asia – commented: “TravelRevive is a major stepping stone for our industry’s recovery, while setting a bold new benchmark for hybrid events. Together with STB, we look forward to growing the MICE industry and fortifying Singapore’s position as a key hub for events and corporate travel.”

Mr Andrew Phua, Executive Director, Exhibitions & Conferences, Singapore Tourism Board, said: “We are proud to break new ground together with Messe Berlin by piloting Asia-Pacific’s first international travel tradeshow since the start of COVID-19. As the Global-Asia node for business, Singapore is reimagining the future of business events with rigorous protocols and creative solutions, while supporting our MICE industry as we pivot, adapt and transform.”

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About TravelRevive

TravelRevive – powered by ITB Asia and STB, from 25 to 26 November 2020, is a hybrid tradeshow to trial the newly developed prototype for safe business events, safe itineraries and digital enablers in Singapore. The two-day travel tradeshow will feature conference sessions, exhibition, as well as opportunities for one-on-one buyer-seller appointments. It will also be complemented by virtual interactions which allows a wider global audience to connect with the regional travel businesses.

About ITB Asia

ITB Asia is organised by Messe Berlin (Singapore) Pte Ltd and supported by the Singapore Exhibition & Convention Bureau/Singapore Tourism Board. The annual three-day B2B trade show and convention features hundreds of exhibiting companies from the Asia-Pacific region, Europe, the Americas, Africa and the Middle East, covering not only the leisure market, but also MICE and corporate travel. ITB Asia is the premier meeting place for the travel trade industry for forging new partnerships and strengthening existing business relationships with the most important players in the region.

This year, ITB Asia 2020 on 21 – 23 October 2020 went virtual. Hosted on the newly developed platform ITB Community, in Asia (ITB Community), it offered a comprehensive user experience, virtual events with business networking opportunities, and knowledge exchange with expansive interactive content. ITB Community is now live and open for subscribers on itb-community.com. Details of the virtual platform can be found in a brochure available for download on https://bit.ly/ITBA2020ITBCommunity. The next edition of ITB Asia will take place in a hybrid setting – physical and virtual – from 27 – 29 October 2021.

About the Singapore Tourism Board

The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) is the lead development agency for tourism, one of Singapore’s key economic sectors. Together with industry partners and the community, we shape a dynamic Singapore tourism landscape. We bring the Passion Made Possible brand to life by differentiating Singapore as a vibrant destination that inspires people to share and deepen their passions.

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¹The Emerging Stronger Taskforce (EST) was formed under the Future Economy Council (FEC) to review how Singapore can stay economically resilient and build new sources of dynamism to emerge stronger from COVID-19. The EST is co-chaired by Minister for National Development, Mr Desmond Lee and Group CEO of PSA International, Mr Tan Chong Meng, and comprises members from various sectors, including businesses and trade associations and chambers.

²The AfA on Enabling Safe and Innovative Visitor Experiences is co-led by Ms Kwee Wei-Lin of Singapore Hotel Association and Mr Lee Seow Hiang of Changi Airport Group, and comprises industry stakeholders and government agencies to explore and pioneer new ways to facilitate safe and innovative visitor experiences in a COVID-19 environment.

³The pre-entry requirements will take into account the travelers port of origin and the various regulations in place.