About 200 agents and select media from the travel trade virtually attended ‘SingapoReimagine Virtual Experiences Familiarisation Day’ aimed to create a differentiated and immersive experience for the travel trade fraternity in India and to reimagine and evolve their definition of travel. The event was held on July 27 for partners from the South and West and July 31 for partners from North and East India.
The tour kicked off with a virtual in-flight experience of landing in Singapore on Singapore Airlines, as a throwback to the days of pre-pandemic travel. The participants went on to enjoy edutainment tours conducted by Wildlife Reserves Singapore, getting up and close virtually with the animals at the Singapore Zoo, and a virtual stroll down by the Singapore River, one that was livened up by games, quizzes, and nuggets of trivia by Monster Tours. The guests were also treated to a curated Singapore-themed lunch with a sumptuous spread delivered to their homes.
“Singapore on a virtual tour was a very fulfilling experience and customers may like to book these tours for a very nominal cost,” said Guldeep Singh Sahni, managing director of Weldon Tours and Travels.
“The virtual experience by Singapore Tourism Board is a new way of exploring destinations virtually but in a real sense. It was done remarkably well,” said P P Khanna, director of Diplomatic Travel Point.
“This SingapoReimagine event was brilliantly put together and showcased how technology will pave the path for travellers in the new age. The event flowed well, was thoroughly engaging, and transported me to Singapore again,” said Akhil Verma, director – brand solutions, Tripoto Travels.
“The experience had me nostalgic for travelling to Singapore. While I have visited some of these places before, the depth and detail of the tours made me feel like it was my first time. I felt encouraged by STB’s call to reimagine, re-energise and reconnect. We cannot wait for the borders to open and to return to Singapore,” said Sunita Amarnani, vice president – FIT, MICE operations and trade relations from Hyperlink Brand Solutions.
A straw poll of all participants found that more than 80 per cent of the agents would recommend such a session to their customers while physical travel is not possible. More than half of them would price such sessions to be between INR 500 to INR 1,000. These are good indications of how such virtual experiences may be positioned to interest consumers before travel reopens.
“STB continues to work with our partners to chart our pathways to tourism recovery. The ‘SingapoReimagine Virtual Experiences Familiarisation Day’ was a great opportunity for us to connect with our Indian travel trade partners, and let them virtually experience Singapore and its offerings through a fresh lens, while we await the return of physical travel. We also see this as a platform to reimagine what travel could look like in the future,” summarised GB Srithar, regional director, India, Middle East, and South Asia of Singapore Tourism Board.
