THE Singapore Tourism Board (STB) is aiming to catapult the city-state to a top-of-mind luxury lifestyle destination in a first-of-a-kind tie-up with a Chinese premium travel agency, kicking off this September during the Formula One season.
STB will collaborate with Felivway to create exclusive products for high-end Chinese travellers to Singapore, with itineraries comprising race viewing, upscale hotel stays, Michelin-starred dinning and VIP access to private parties, among other privileges. Conversations are still ongoing with Singaporean suppliers interested in participating.
More significantly, these groups will be accompanied by well-known personalities and key opinion leaders on their trips, lending the star factor.
Felivway deputy general manager, Kate Ni, told TTG Asia e-Daily that these will be great networking opportunities for the who’s whos of China, including self-made entrepreneurs.
“More high-end customers are not only looking for high-end facilities, they care more about who they can travel with and what they can learn from the trip,” she observed.
Ni said that the parent company of Felivway, lvmama.com, is the second largest OTA in Shanghai after Ctrip. Known for its themed experiences and celebrity-led tours, the Felivway brand was established in end-2012 to court luxury clients.
Besides several fixed departures, Felivway will also tailor-make itineraries for individual clients. For example, some might even want to combine their trip with doing business in Singapore, explained Ni.
As the first of such collaborations between STB and Felivway, similar products could also be extended to other key events held in Singapore, such as the WTA Championships, World Gourmet Summit and Art Stage, shared STB area director, Eastern China, Kwan Su Min.
Describing to TTG Asia e-Daily how the Chinese luxury travel market is coming of age, STB chief representative regional director, Greater China, Edward Chew, said: “Previously many of the high-end travel planners (in China) were embedded within large travel companies, but now we see a lot more pure-play luxury travel agencies who are into customised and tailor-made holidays. This is therefore a good time to engage these high-end service providers, as they reflect a growing sophistication in tastes of the target market.
“Singapore is better known as a business city to the Chinese than as a luxury lifestyle destination. In spite of this though, if the travellers are looking for a three- or four-day break, Singapore has a lot to offer in terms of high-end luxury experiences.”
Chew added that STB is also becoming “more aggressive in promoting Singapore as a mono destination”. Commencing next week is a series of mono-Singapore promotions for this summer season up until August.
