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SINGAPORE: The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) will partner with Airbnb Experiences to bring a variety of online tourism experiences to global audiences amid the “new international tourism climate”.
In a press release, STB and Airbnb said they signed a two-year memorandum of understanding (MOU) on Thursday (October 22) to “co-promote and grow a variety of experiences” hosted by locals on the Airbnb platform. Experiences.
Airbnb describes the Experiences platform as one that allows customers to participate in “unique activities designed and organized by locals.” Examples include guided museum tours, dance classes, and cooking sessions with the locals.
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“Airbnb Experiences and STB will jointly drive quality travel experiences in Singapore and encourage players in Singapore’s tourism industry to digitize and shift towards innovative hybrid business models,” the statement read.
The partnership with Airbnb Experiences is “timely,” said STB CEO Keith Tan.
“As travel gradually resumes, we want to focus on strengthening Singapore’s brand image in the minds of audiences around the world and making sure our destination remains a priority,” he said.
“This partnership will also provide passionate Singapore hosts with a world leading platform to reach quality travelers globally, while helping them innovate and explore new business models.”
VIRTUAL TOURS, SHARE DATA
STB and Airbnb Experiences have developed and launched Singapore Virtual Trips, a “collection of online experiences hosted by iconic partners in Singapore’s tourism industry and featured on a dedicated landing page on the Airbnb platform.”
It will include a sustainability-themed tour of Gardens by the Bay’s Cloud Forest, a virtual tour of Peranakan’s house museum, The Intan, and an interactive bingo tour of the one-north tech precinct.
Screenshot of an Airbnb experience page offering a tour of the gardens next to the bay’s cloud forest.
More industry partners are expected to join the initiative, STB and Airbnb Experiences said, adding that the partnership will encourage companies to connect and turn towards innovative hybrid business models.
The page will also include content that will offer international travelers the opportunity to explore the country virtually, the organizations added.
Future collaborations will include in-person experiences in categories such as gastronomy, nature, wellness and the arts.
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A co-branded content list will also be launched with Singapore as a destination and Airbnb experiences on their respective platforms and channels, as well as for industry partners through the STB Tourism Information and Service Center.
STB was also invited to access Airbnb’s City Portal de Experience data exchange platform, which is aimed at governments and tourism organizations.
“Sharing data and knowledge will help both parties to engage with more specific Singapore Experiences, refining tourism products and services in this new environment through a deeper understanding of the evolving traveler profile,” said STB and Airbnb.
Airbnb Senior Vice President of Policy and Communications Chris Lehane said the company is “excited to partner with the Singapore Tourism Board to promote experimental travel in one of the world’s most vibrant and dynamic communities.”
“It is by using the Airbnb platform to show the world to the amazing people of Singapore that … we can help support the recovery of international tourism,” he said.
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