Singapore Tourism Board and Paris&Co/Welcome City Lab sign Memorandum of Understanding to promote the development of tourism start-ups

The two agencies will collaborate to drive innovation in the tourism sectors in both countries. The Singapore Tourism Board and Paris&Co recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding to formalize three key initiatives:

• Facilitate the exchange of start-ups between Singapore and Paris with the support of the Singapore Tourism Accelerator and Paris&Co/Welcome City Lab.

• Strengthen the exchange of insights on Asian and European tourism start-ups and tourism ecosystem in order to identify new opportunities.
  

• Strengthen relations between tourism stakeholders in Singapore and Paris.

Paris, 16 November 2020 – The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) and Paris&Co are partnering to develop the tourism sectors in Singapore and Paris through exchange programmes between start-ups and information sharing. This agreement, the first of its kind between Singapore and France, promotes the development of tourism start-ups and accelerates the development of the tourism sectors in both cities, while also opening the door to opportunities for future cooperation between tourism stakeholders from the two destinations.

As part of its digital transformation efforts, Singapore has been supporting its companies across various sectors to build their technology and innovation capabilities. STB, the lead development agency for tourism, launched the Singapore Tourism Accelerator last year to refine and test-bed innovative solutions that could benefit Singapore’s tourism sector.

The Accelerator has set up a highly selective six-month programme that provides the most promising young technology companies with mentorship and opportunities to pilot their solutions.

The first and second cohorts attracted more than 300 applications, from over 27 countries. 15 selected companies across the two cohorts have already begun piloting their solutions with key tourism stakeholders in Singapore. For example, RepUp¹ is partnering Singapore Flyer, operated by Straco Leisure, to leverage data analysis and automation to improve guest engagement, and Bakuun.com² is partnering with Singapore Airlines to use real-time data to optimise the hotel booking process and reduce costs for their customers.

Building on these successes and previous experiences, the Singapore Tourism Accelerator is at the heart of the collaboration between the STB and Paris&Co.

Paris&Co, Paris’ economic development and innovation agency, promotes the dissemination of innovation through the incubation of more than 500 French and foreign start-ups per year through 15 innovation platforms. One of them, called Welcome City Lab, is dedicated to urban tourism and includes the world's first incubator specifically dedicated to this sector. Created in July 2013 by Paris&Co with the support of the City of Paris, BpiFrance, the Paris Convention and Visitors Bureau and the General Directorate of Business (DGE), it has welcomed more than 150 start-ups since its creation and enabled the creation of 1,400 jobs.

It is therefore natural that STB and Paris&Co sought to explore the possibilities of partnership between the Singapore Tourism Accelerator and the Welcome City Lab. Under this partnership, Singapore Tourism Accelerator alumnus Bakuun.com has been accepted as a member of the Welcome City Lab innovation platform. The membership allows Bakuun.com to gain direct access to the travel tech ecosystem in Paris and scale internationally.

Mr Poh Chi Chuan, Acting Chief Technology Officer, Singapore Tourism Board, said: “COVID-19 has changed the way the tourism business works globally. Tourism organisations need to work even closer together than before to come up with innovative solutions to address the challenges brought about by the pandemic. The partnership with Paris&Co will allow us to build connections between our respective tourism ecosystems and facilitate the flow of ideas and co-innovation. We look forward to the insights and new collaborations that will emerge from this partnership to help tourism businesses in our two cities.”

Mr Loïc Dosseur, Chief Executive Officer, Paris&Co, said, “Through this partnership between Welcome City Lab and Singapore Tourism Board, Paris&Co is committed to major cooperation for innovation for tourism in our territories. We will be keen to mobilise all our resources, to make this partnership a lever for overcoming crisis and building the future.”

Mr Ringo Leung, General Manager, Straco Leisure, said: “The start-up community is a vital resource that tourism industry players can tap to transform their businesses.

The MOU between STB and Paris&Co will provide greater access to this resource, and we are confident that such a partnership will further help to accelerate transformation.”

Mr Marco Bacchilega, Founder, Bakuun.com, said: “Through the Singapore Tourism Accelerator programme, we were able to test our solutions with industry partners in a real-world setting. We are excited for the new opportunities to explore and develop solutions beyond Singapore. We are also eager to learn from innovators in Paris."

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¹RepUp is a start-up based in Gurgaon, India that participated in Cohort 1 of the Singapore Tourism Accelerator programme.

²Bakuun.com is a start-up based in London, UK that participated in Cohort 1 of the Singapore Tourism Accelerator programme.

About the Singapore Tourism Accelerator

The Singapore Tourism Accelerator was set up in 2019 by STB to attract and groom new technologies and innovation globally to be developed and piloted in Singapore. The initiative will create new business opportunities, push the boundaries and transform the tourism sector. Selected companies are housed in STB for 6 months and provided with resources including access to critical business support, connections to Singapore’s tourism ecosystem, and pilot opportunities with industry partners.

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.

About Paris&Co/Welcome City Lab

Paris&Co is the innovation agency of Paris. It runs 15 innovation platforms. One of them, named Welcome City Lab, is dedicated to urban tourism, including the world’s first incubator specifically for this sector.

It was created in July 2013 by Paris&Co with the support of the City of Paris, BpiFrance, the Paris Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Directorate General for Enterprise (DGE). Its other founder members are Aéroports de Paris, Air France, la Caisse des Dépôts, Galeries Lafayette, Pierre & Vacances, Paris Inn Group, RATP, Skyboard, Sodexo, and Viparis. The innovation platform offers a range of services to start-ups and players in the tourism sector: an incubator, a place for meeting, discussions and co-working, a platform for experiments, and a monitoring cell.