Airbnb Experiences and the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) have signed a two-year MoU to co-promote and grow a range of unique, authentic tourism experiences hosted by locals on the Airbnb Experiences platform.
This agreement comprises three strategic pillars, namely, development of Singapore Experiences in the new tourism landscape; co-marketing of destination Singapore to stay top-of-mind among global audiences; as well as facilitating data and knowledge exchange to enable effective recovery.
Virtual tourism experiences have rapidly surfaced as one of the key digital commodities for the global travel and hospitality industry as the Covid-19 pandemic impacts businesses and livelihoods. Through the MoU, Airbnb Experiences and STB will join hands to showcase the range of unique and authentic Singapore Online Experiences on the Airbnb platform, through a variety of creative channels to stay top-of-mind to travellers worldwide.
To kick off this partnership, the two organisations have developed and launched Singapore Virtual Trips, a collection of Online Experiences hosted by Singapore tourism industry partners and featured on a dedicated landing page on the Airbnb platform. This first-of-kind destination page will also provide compelling Singapore destination content, offering international travellers an opportunity to explore the country virtually during this challenging period.
Singapore Virtual Trips features a wide array of unique Online Experiences, including a sustainability-themed tour at Gardens by the Bay’s Cloud Forest, a virtual visit to Peranakan home museum The Intan with owner Alvin Yapp, an interactive bingo tour of the one-north tech precinct by Monster Day Tours, and a behind-the-scenes peek into the rich history of the Old Kallang Airport with Jerome Lim, founder of heritage website The Long and Winding Road. More tourism industry partners are expected to join this initiative following this first wave of Online Experiences.
This partnership will encourage Singapore tourism businesses to take their products online and pivot towards innovative hybrid business models, as the industry reimagines the future of tourism, said STB in a release.
In the future, both parties will also collaborate to onboard unique and authentic in-person Airbnb Experiences across various categories, including dining, nature, wellness, and the arts. Aimed at the long-term development of the Singapore Experiences sector, both parties will work with local tourism industry partners to continuously offer differentiated and fresh experiences to travellers.
The partnership will thus help local entrepreneurs leverage the economic benefits of experience-driven travel, by providing them with opportunities to share their passions and interests and connecting them with travellers who are interested in Singapore.
Given ongoing international travel restrictions, the partnership also aims to capture audience interest for Singapore to remain top-of-mind as a destination among consumers worldwide, leveraging both Airbnb Experiences and STB’s strong brand images and global reach.
Under the partnership, both parties will jointly produce a lineup of co-branded content featuring destination Singapore and Airbnb Experiences, to be served across their respective platforms and channels. STB and Airbnb Experiences also plan to make such content available to travel industry partners via STB’s Tourism Information and Services Hub. These efforts are especially critical in driving effective recovery as international travel restrictions ease, said STB.
In addition, both parties will work towards extending destination information, tools, and benefits to Airbnb Experiences guests – such as exclusive offers unlocked through sign-ups for the Visit Singapore app.
Airbnb Experiences and STB will also mutually share insights and best practices to grow experience offerings in Singapore and aid in strategic tourism development and recovery.
To kick-start this, Airbnb Experiences has invited STB to access their City Portal, a data-sharing platform built exclusively for governments and tourism organisations to equip them with travel insights and other relevant resources. STB said that data and knowledge exchange will help both parties onboard more targeted Singapore Experiences, refining tourism products and services in this new environment through a deeper understanding of the evolving traveller profile.
