Singapore, 3 November 2020 – The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) launched the next wave of the SingapoRediscovers campaign[1] today, encouraging locals to explore precincts and support home-grown businesses through Singapoliday bundled promotions, personalised itineraries and online content.
Embark on a fun-filled Singapoliday at each precinct
With the year-end holidays around the corner, STB presents 10 key precincts[2] as Singapoliday destinations. These include the Civic District, Joo Chiat/Katong, Kampong Gelam, and Sentosa. Each precinct is a mini-holiday destination, with rich history, character and culture, as well as a suite of experiences worthy of in-depth exploration – or a Singapoliday. Hotels, attractions, tour operators as well as retail and dining establishments have come together to offer bundled promotions for each precinct. Locals can look forward to hidden gems and experiences that go beyond familiar sights and sounds, and challenge all of us to rediscover new aspects of our home.
STB Chief Executive Keith Tan said: “We would like to thank locals for supporting our local businesses and rediscovering our city over the past few months. As the holiday season draws near, we hope they can take a Singapoliday too. There is so much to explore and do in our vibrant precincts. Each has a unique story to tell, and homegrown businesses that need our support. We are also heartened by the response from our industry partners, who have come up with innovative products and partnerships to appeal to locals.”
For a start, there are around 50 bundled promotions housed on the SingapoRediscovers microsite and the VisitSingapore app. Bundled promotions for each precinct will feature a combination of various products, including staycations, attractions, tours, as well as retail and dining offers. For example, in Marina Bay, travel agent The Traveller DMC curated a staycation-attraction package with Mandarin Oriental, Singapore and Gardens by the Bay. In Kampong Gelam, The Sultan and Tribe Tours paired up to offer a promotion for a staycation and an Instagram photography tour, taking guests to explore different areas of the precinct, including Bugis and Waterloo Street.
Around a quarter of such promotions have been curated by travel agents such as The Traveller DMC and Gourmet Trails, who have pivoted their business to focus on the domestic market and rallied their partners to design bundled promotions. Locals can expect more bundled promotions in the coming months, as more tourism businesses come on board and submit their promotions via the Tourism Information and Services Hub. Please see Annex for more information about the promotions and submission process.
Plan your Singapoliday with personalised itineraries
STB has also designed Singapoliday itineraries across the 10 precincts. These itineraries can be customised, to help locals plan mini-holidays of up to three days within each precinct.
Each itinerary will feature recommended hotels, attractions, tours, as well as retail and dining establishments. For instance, locals can stay at Hotel Soloha or Oasia Hotel Downtown Singapore and explore the Chinatown precinct on a Trishaw Tour by Trishaw Uncle or a Red Clogs Down the Five-Foot Way tour by Journeys. Locals looking for an island retreat on Sentosa can stay at The Barracks Hotel Sentosa or Capella Hotel Singapore, join a kayak fishing tour, and dine at the Ocean Restaurant, touted as Southeast Asia’s only permanent underwater aquarium dining experience.
For more itineraries and promotions in all 10 precincts, please visit the SingapoRediscovers microsite.
Rediscover precincts through the “S.P.I.E.S. (Secret Places in Exciting Singapore)” content series
To encourage locals to go on a Singapoliday and explore their favourite precincts, STB will roll out a new video series called “S.P.I.E.S. (Secret Places in Exciting Singapore)”. Featuring a different precinct in each of its ten episodes, the series shines the spotlight on lesser-known fun facts and discoveries for each precinct. Each episode will be hosted by a Singapore celebrity and shown on STB’s YouTube, Facebook and Instagram platforms.
To be launched in November, the first episode will feature actor Tosh Zhang visiting Little India to uncover its secrets, such as a vintage garment shop and a hotel filled with artworks and sculptures. Upcoming hosts include Siti Khalijah Zainal, Fakkah Fuzz, Rishi Budhrani and Judee Tan.
More content will be released in the coming months to encourage locals to visit the various precincts. This includes a video series titled “How to not waste your annual leave”, hosted by Chua Enlai and Michelle Chia.
Ms Yvonne Low, Executive Director, The Traveller DMC, said: "The SingapoRediscovers campaign has shone the spotlight on domestic tourism, and we have adapted quickly to meet the domestic demand for tourism offerings in Singapore. We are incredibly excited to showcase what Singapore has to offer, even to locals who are familiar with most precincts. There is so much more to discover in Singapore and we hope that residents continue to take advantage of these offerings in the coming months!"
“We are pleased to work with other tourism businesses on Sentosa to offer Singapoliday bundled promotions and provide locals with greater value for money through the coupling of promotions. Businesses will benefit from the multiplier effect as locals explore each precinct and visit the tourism establishments and attractions in the vicinity,” said Mr Alex Ward, General Manager, Madame Tussauds Singapore.
Since the launch of SingapoRediscovers in July, over 100 businesses – from hotels, attractions and tour operators to retail and food and beverage establishments – have offered more than 600 promotions, inclusive of the Singapoliday bundled promotions. The SingapoRediscovers campaign will also be extended from March 2021 to June 2021. This is to tie in with the validity period of the SingapoRediscovers Vouchers[3], and ensure there will be a healthy pipeline of promotions available as Singaporeans use their vouchers to support local businesses.
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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.
More: www.stb.gov.sg or www.visitsingapore.com | Follow us: facebook.com/STBsingapore
[1] The SingapoRediscovers campaign was launched in July 2020 by Enterprise Singapore, Sentosa Development Corporation and Singapore Tourism Board. The campaign rallies locals to support home-grown tourism and lifestyle businesses, through the discovery of hidden gems and experiences, as well as attractive promotions.
[2] The 10 key precincts are Changi/ East Coast, Chinatown, Civic District, Joo Chiat/ Katong, Kampong Gelam, Little India, Mandai/ Kranji, Marina Bay, Orchard Road and Sentosa.
[3] On 17 August 2020, the Government announced that S$320 million would be set aside in the form of SingapoRediscovers Vouchers, to encourage Singaporeans to support tourism businesses, which have been among the hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. SingapoRediscovers Vouchers will take the form of credits that Singapore citizens can spend on hotels stays, attractions tickets and/or tours.