Singapore Tourism Board and Expedia team up to boost tourism recovery in ten overseas markets, spur rediscovery by locals

Singapore, 19 October 2020 – The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) and Expedia, one of the world’s leading full-service online travel brands, have inked a two-year global marketing partnership. Its focus is to stimulate the local tourism industry by supporting home-grown businesses and strengthen Singapore’s position as a destination of choice when international travel resumes.

Domestic marketing

From now till April 2021, STB and Expedia will team up to support the on-going SingapoRediscovers¹ campaign. Residents in Singapore can look forward to a selection of exciting domestic holiday bundles, attractive staycations offers, attractions and tours, that cater to a variety of interests and budgets. There will also be inspirational content that shines the spotlight on some of Singapore’s unique local highlights and hidden gems, inviting locals to rediscover 10 of our key precincts². These will be hosted on a STB-Expedia SingaporeRediscovers campaign landing page. As part of overall efforts to rebuild trust in travel and provide greater assurance of safety and cleanliness for locals and subsequently international travellers, the landing page will also highlight the SG Clean certification programme.

International marketing

As international travel gradually resumes, STB and Expedia, through its Expedia Group Media Solutions brand, will jointly promote Singapore as the destination of choice in 10 overseas markets – Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, United Arab Emirates, Germany, France, Switzerland, Canada, United Kingdom and United States.  Apart from offering attractive promotions for travel-related products and experiences such as flight promotions, online display ads and creative campaigns will also be rolled out to put Singapore at the top of international travellers’ minds.

“Local businesses are the heart and soul of our tourism industry, and it is important to support them through this challenging period. When global travel returns and when the time is right, this partnership with Expedia will allow the Singapore tourism industry to tap on Expedia’s vast global network and user base to help local businesses reach new customers. In the immediate term, we will encourage locals to rediscover their neighbourhoods and precincts, and to support their favourite businesses safely and responsibly,” said Ms Lynette Pang, Assistant Chief Executive (Marketing Group), Singapore Tourism Board.

“The pandemic has caused an unprecedented crisis for the tourism industry, and the reopening of tourism-related businesses and managing their recovery in a way that is safe, attractive and economically viable for our customers will require coordination at a level not seen before. As we work towards stimulating demand for domestic tourism and subsequently international leisure tourism as global travel gradually resumes, Expedia is uniquely positioned to leverage our global expertise, influence and technology to reinvigorate the Singapore tourism industry and help local tourism establishments sustain and grow their operations in the post-pandemic future,” said Mr Ang Choo Pin, Senior Director, Government and Corporate Affairs, and Managing Director Asia, Expedia Group.

“Over the past few months, we have been introducing more unique tour offerings to inspire and educate Singaporeans about our local culture and heritage. Bringing together an established and renowned online travel brand like Expedia with the Singapore Tourism Board allows us to tap into a global platform, reaching more Singaporeans while gaining access to overseas visitors from various markets, offering them a quality and safe learning experience with us, ” said Mr Bhajan Singh Sandhu, Director of A+B Edu Tours and Travel Pte Ltd.

Mr Lawrence Koh, CEO of iFly Singapore said, “iFly Singapore is one of Singapore’s most popular attractions, frequented by both Singaporeans and overseas visitors. When travel came to a standstill, it propelled us to adopt various measures like redesigning our packages for the local market and restructuring our approaches to defray costs to stabilise the business. This partnership between Expedia and the Singapore Tourism Board and the marketing efforts stemming from the SingapoRediscovers campaign helps puts us on track to recovery and we are looking forward to welcoming even more Singaporeans and visitors, especially during the year-end holidays”.

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About Expedia

Expedia® is one of the world's largest full-service travel sites, helping travellers easily plan and book travel. Expedia is a one-stop-shop and aims to provide the latest technology and the widest selection of top holiday destinations, affordable airfares, hotel deals, car rentals, cruise deals and in-destination activities and attractions.

© 2020 Expedia, Inc. All rights reserved. Other logos or product and company names mentioned herein may be the property of their respective owners.

About Expedia Group Media Solutions

Expedia Group™ Media Solutions, the advertising organization of Expedia Group, offers industry expertise and digital marketing solutions that allow brands to reach, engage and influence its qualified audience of travellers around the world. Through its vast network of leading travel brands and global points of sale, Expedia Group Media Solutions provides marketing partners with proprietary data-driven insights about traveller behaviors during every stage of the purchase journey, along with dynamic advertising solutions, to deliver strategic campaigns and measurable results. For more information, visit www.advertising.expedia.com.

© 2020 Expedia, Inc., an Expedia Group company. All rights reserved. Trademarks and logos are the property of their respective owners.

About the Singapore Tourism Board

The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) is the lead development agency for tourism, one of Singapore’s key economic sectors. Together with industry partners and the community, we shape a dynamic Singapore tourism landscape. We bring the Passion Made Possible brand to life by differentiating Singapore as a vibrant destination that inspires people to share and deepen their passions.

¹The Singapore Tourism Board, Enterprise Singapore and Sentosa Development Corporate launched the SingapoRediscovers campaign in July 2020, to encourage locals to rediscover Singapore and support our home-grown tourism and lifestyle businesses.

²Chinatown, Kampong Gelam, Little India, Joo Chiat-Katong, Orchard Road, Marina Bay, Civic District, Sentosa, Changi-East Coast, Mandai-Kranji