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Tourism has been one of the sectors most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. With closed borders and restrictions, many tourist attractions have seen a sharp drop in business. To stay afloat, many are turning to technology. Money Mind reports.
A water feature is seen in an empty Merlion Park, as tourism prepares for a sharp decline following the outbreak of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) along Marina Bay in Singapore on March 26, 2020. REUTERS / Edgar Su
SINGAPORE: Since the end of March, Singapore’s borders have been closed to most short-term visitors.
This has had a significant impact on tourism figures: In June, Singapore received just 2,170 visitors, a far cry from the 1.55 million tourist arrivals seen last year.
That is a 99.9 percent drop.
This harsh reality is very much on the minds of those charged with promoting Singapore as a tourist destination.
With a limited number of potential clients living in Singapore, companies here have had to adapt and innovate quickly to generate new revenue models, industry players said.
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“As much as we try to bring local consumers to market, the reality is that there are only 5.5 million people in Singapore. We had 19.1 million visitors last year. It’s a very big gap, “said Quek Choon Yang, CTO of the Singapore Tourism Board (STB).
“We are aware that it will not be (possible) to cover all of the income lost by international visitors. But what tourism companies can do is think about new business models, new experiences and services,” he added.
READ: New COVID-19 cases destroy hopes of reviving Southeast Asian vacation spots
MAKE USE OF DATA
STB has been working with technology company Adobe to help businesses and attractions with this digital transformation.
This includes helping them create virtual experiences and activities, and using data analytics to create tailored experiences.
The STB calls it One Singapore Experience, which aims to provide a seamless and personalized experience for those visiting Singapore.
“The smart thing is to take this data, when people interact with that content, and use it to understand what works, what does not work and how you can improve the delivery of that content to the same people in a different way or learn from the groups that they are built around a particular content and scaling it up so it can perform better, “said Simon Dale, Adobe’s managing director in Southeast Asia.
“It’s a combination of doing the right content, but also delivering and interacting with that content in the right way,” he added.
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TRAVEL THE WORLD, VIRTUALLY
One organization that took this message seriously is Wildlife Reserves Singapore, which runs the Jurong Bird Park, Night Safari, River Safari, and the Singapore Zoo.
During the “circuit breaker,” they released a personalized virtual experience called Hello From The Wild Side.
The virtual outing includes an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at an animal of your choice and the opportunity to chat with the animal’s keeper.
According to Wildlife Reserves Singapore Deputy Executive Director Cheng Wen Haur, the response from the public has been so positive that the zoo will continue with the virtual program, although it was allowed to reopen in July.
READ: Go on a Zoom date with Moe the Capybara from Singapore’s River Safari
Another virtual activity organized by WRS was inspired by learning at home.
Since the schools had to cancel their visits to the zoo, the zoo brought the animals to the students, online.
Dr. Cheng said that WRS is now looking to expand this school program to other countries such as India or China, discovering a previously untapped market.
This, experts said, is one of the benefits of virtual tourism: being able to reach groups that otherwise would not have had the opportunity to visit a particular country.
Fitch Solutions analyst Kenny Liew said virtual tourism could be especially attractive to older travelers and those with mobility issues.
“The other group we see is students. (Operators could provide) customized itineraries for schools at a fraction of the cost that schools would actually have to spend to physically get the entire group of students there.
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DANCING IN THE CLOUD
Another company that innovated during the circuit breaker was Zouk
With nightspots closed due to circuit breaker measures, Zouk began live-streaming his DJ sets – something he calls cloud discos.
Zouk Group CEO Andrew Li said this was later turned into a comprehensive lifestyle portfolio that included DJ interviews, fitness and yoga sessions, as well as cocktail-making classes.
For now, stakeholders say it is too early to know whether virtual visitors can make up for the drop in tourism revenue.
But with borders still mostly restricted in many parts of the world, joining the digital club means not only new audiences, but also an expansion of the brand’s offerings and identities.
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