The Singapore Tourism Board has launched digital services for Chinese tourists – YourSingapore, WeChat and Baidu Connect services, which will provide visitors with real-time location information to help them explore Singapore.
China is Singapore’s second largest tourist market, with 1.7 million tourists contributing S$2.6 billion in tourism revenue in 2014. Chinese visitor arrivals in January to August this year increased by 19 per cent year-on-year to 1.46 million. This year we have crossed the 10 million mark of tourist already.
“I think to reach out to these consumers, give them the best information, allow them to post about Singapore, navigate Singapore, learn about stories of Singapore, actually we think we need mobile enabled functionality.” said STB’s Regional Director for Greater China Edward Chew
Attractions such as River Safari and Gardens by the Bay will be featured in the YourSingapore WeChat Account. Tourists can also find out more about Sentosa using Baidu Connect services. STB have stated more tourist attractions and hotspots will be added to these platforms in the near future.
STB also signed agreements with online travel services Alitrip and Tuniu, and social review sites Dianping and Mafengwo. These Chinese digital partners will collect and distribute content on Singapore’s attractions over a 3 year period.
Mr Chew said “We have seen more Chinese visitors in Singapore in recent years. Besides the need for comprehensive information for trip planning, they also desire real-time useful tips, navigation, payment and translation tools to explore a destination independently.“
HK attracts more than 50 million tourist a year from the main land. Indonesia is focusing on apps and social media to increase tourist traffic to 20 million.