Singapore to provide AR training, data transformation benchmarks for tourism players

The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) will roll out three programmes by end-2020 to give local tourism businesses a boost in their data transformation journeys, announced the board’s acting chief technology officer, Poh Chi Chuan.

Poh shared that the first initiative is an aggressive push for augmented reality (AR) technology. The board aims to build a bank of some 1,000 “high-quality” AR resources on its Tourism Industry Hub, test prototypes to showcase AR applications, launch a set of recommended standards, and introduce AR training courses on its Tech College.

Data transformation critical for survival in the post-Covid landscape: Poh 

This strategy follows the successes of local attractions, Singapore Zoo and nightclub Zouk, which adopted AR marketing and events to engage with consumers during the pandemic.

Poh said: “We decided to focus on AR as it is an accessible technology that we believe will be mainstream in the next couple months.”

The second initiative will see the full-scale launch of the board’s Tourism Transformation Index (TXI), which has been in limited pilot phase since June.

Once fully launched, tourism businesses in Singapore will be able to assess their current state of transformation against a holistic set of metrics, as well as access a new dynamic industry benchmark to measure against other companies and gauge the growth of the industry.

Finally, STB plans to enhance its Singapore Tourism Analytics Network by introducing new data domains and features, resources such as the Data College, as well as a governance playbook for companies to guide them on proper handling of data privacy.

“Covid-19 has led a paradigm shift that has accelerated data transformation from something that is good to have to something that is a must-have for survival,” expressed Poh.

He added that STB is also launching a white paper, Beyond Covid-19 – Tourism Transformed, detailing its recovery predictions.

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