The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) is the government agency responsible for promoting and developing tourism in Singapore. Established in 1964, the STB plays a crucial role in shaping Singapore's reputation as a top travel destination and driving the growth of the tourism industry.
STB focuses on marketing Singapore as a premier tourist destination both domestically and internationally. It works closely with public and private partners to enhance and diversify Singapore's tourism offerings. This includes supporting the development of new attractions, hotels, restaurants, and experiences that cater to the evolving preferences of travelers. The board is committed to improving the overall visitor experience in Singapore, which involves enhancing infrastructure, public spaces, and services to ensure tourists have a memorable and enjoyable stay.
Meanwhile, STB adopts the following strategies to promote tourism in Singapore.
Empower Partners
STB collaborates with various stakeholders in the tourism industry, including travel agencies, airlines, hospitality businesses, and event organisers, to create synergies and develop the tourism ecosystem in Singapore. The tourism ecosystem depends on performances from all partners, as customers expect holistic experiences.
STB supports and works with partners to organise various events, festivals, and cultural activities throughout the year. Understanding that customers want to optimise travel experiences, these events and festivals help attract visitors to Singapore and offer unique experiences for local and existing visitors. These experiences enrich Singapore’s image and tourism offerings, making Singapore a small yet eventful country for travelers.
Research and Market Insights
The board conducts research and gathers market insights to better understand visitor trends and preferences and shares this research on its website. This information helps its partners develop targeted marketing strategies.
STB promotes data analytics for the tourism sector’s development. It launched the Data College to help stakeholders leverage data. The sites contain training courses, data resources, research insights and other support to help users navigate data sources and tools for research and analysis.
Promote Digital and AI Capabilities
Attractions face challenges such as increasing competition, workforce limitations, and evolving traveler preferences. To stay competitive, they must innovate and transform by leveraging technology to enhance operations, productivity, visitor experiences, and overall value.
STB collaborated with the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) and introduced the Tourism (Attractions) Industry Digital Plan (IDP) to support the attractions industry in Singapore. This initiative is aimed at helping attractions embrace digital transformation to drive growth. The IDP guides attractions, especially SMEs, on adopting digital solutions across three key job functions: customer service and engagement, sales and marketing, and sustainability. The IDP offers a roadmap to assess their digital readiness and identify appropriate digital solutions for different stages of growth. These solutions can address challenges like customer queries, energy consumption tracking, and data-driven insights for improved sales and marketing strategies.
You can refer to two examples from the STB website. In one case, iFLY Singapore adopted facial recognition-empowered check-in to streamline photo/video taking and customer analysis. In another case, Kiztopia implemented a CRM system to help them integrate customer information for targeted sales.
Singapore has successfully positioned itself as a global hub for business, culture, and leisure travel, and the Singapore Tourism Board has played a pivotal role in achieving this status. The board's efforts have led to a thriving tourism sector, contributing significantly to Singapore's economy.