SINGAPORE: Tour operators and hostels are upping their game as they look to bank on Singapore’s recovering tourism sector.
This comes as inbound tourism figures picked up in 2024, increasing by 12 per cent from 2023.
Let's Go Tour, for instance, is hoping that new offerings beyond the beaten path could draw in a wider base. This includes tours to Kampung Buangkok, Singapore’s last of its kind.
“Now, even tourists and expats are starting to be keen to learn what Singapore was like before all the high-rise buildings,” said the firm’s general manager Kyanta Yap.
The tour operator is also experimenting with theatrical tours, featuring actors as guides.
“We want to be different because I think Singapore tourism as a whole - we have already upgraded to the next level,” he said.
“We are run by a group of energetic and new, innovative kinds of tour guides. So it's not the waving flag and microphone (type),” he said referring to how tours are traditionally run.
Another firm, Monster Day Tours, has started holding augmented reality tours.
“What we want to do … is leverage on augmented reality features to help our tour guides tell the stories of Singapore better …. which will bring some of the precincts to life,” said chief operating officer Byron Koh.
Both firms also said that they have introduced game-like experiences and worked to appeal to companies that need to hold team-bonding activities.
Betel Box Hostel in Joo Chiat and Jyu Capsule Hotel in Chinatown are also working on curating and providing more uniquely local experiences for its guests. These include free walking food tours and in-house parties.
Their efforts come on the back of experiencing some growth last year.
Betel Box, which has had an average occupancy rate of 70 per cent over the past two decades, suddenly found itself fully booked when pop star Taylor Swift came to town.
“Throughout the whole week, we were fully booked … and it has been very stable for us since,” said manager Syed Azzym Syed Othman.
Jyu Capsule also saw a 5 per cent increase in revenue during Swift’s and Coldplay’s concerts, as well as during the Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix.
However the operators said there is a need to come up with new experiences so they have a sustainable way to grow their business without just relying on attracting budget-conscious travellers, as mega events like these will not happen very often.
Monster Day Tours is also counting on the newly-renovated Chinatown Heritage Centre to bring in more business. The shophouse is filled with dioramas of how residents lived in pre-independent Singapore.
The centre was closed indefinitely due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but its doors are set to reopen later this month.
The new space is part of the Singapore Tourism Board's move to get more people to visit Chinatown.
In 2024, the firm saw growth of between 10 and 20 per cent, said Mr Koh.
While this was encouraging, the increase in business was not as fast as expected, he said.
He noted that it remains to be seen if travellers will continue to want to travel in large groups as they used to before the pandemic. The company had seen an increase in inquiries from the Chinese market.
“We do have an arm that caters to the Chinese demographics, and we're hoping to also improve our offerings to the Chinese market, and hopefully we'll be able to meet that demand,” he added.
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This comes as inbound tourism figures picked up in 2024, increasing by 12 per cent from 2023.
Let's Go Tour, for instance, is hoping that new offerings beyond the beaten path could draw in a wider base. This includes tours to Kampung Buangkok, Singapore’s last of its kind.
“Now, even tourists and expats are starting to be keen to learn what Singapore was like before all the high-rise buildings,” said the firm’s general manager Kyanta Yap.
The tour operator is also experimenting with theatrical tours, featuring actors as guides.
“We want to be different because I think Singapore tourism as a whole - we have already upgraded to the next level,” he said.
“We are run by a group of energetic and new, innovative kinds of tour guides. So it's not the waving flag and microphone (type),” he said referring to how tours are traditionally run.
Another firm, Monster Day Tours, has started holding augmented reality tours.
“What we want to do … is leverage on augmented reality features to help our tour guides tell the stories of Singapore better …. which will bring some of the precincts to life,” said chief operating officer Byron Koh.
Both firms also said that they have introduced game-like experiences and worked to appeal to companies that need to hold team-bonding activities.
UNIQUE EXPERIENCES FOR HOSTEL STAYERS
Betel Box Hostel in Joo Chiat and Jyu Capsule Hotel in Chinatown are also working on curating and providing more uniquely local experiences for its guests. These include free walking food tours and in-house parties.
Their efforts come on the back of experiencing some growth last year.
Betel Box, which has had an average occupancy rate of 70 per cent over the past two decades, suddenly found itself fully booked when pop star Taylor Swift came to town.
“Throughout the whole week, we were fully booked … and it has been very stable for us since,” said manager Syed Azzym Syed Othman.
Jyu Capsule also saw a 5 per cent increase in revenue during Swift’s and Coldplay’s concerts, as well as during the Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix.
However the operators said there is a need to come up with new experiences so they have a sustainable way to grow their business without just relying on attracting budget-conscious travellers, as mega events like these will not happen very often.
Related:
REOPENING OF CHINATOWN HERITAGE CENTRE
Monster Day Tours is also counting on the newly-renovated Chinatown Heritage Centre to bring in more business. The shophouse is filled with dioramas of how residents lived in pre-independent Singapore.
The centre was closed indefinitely due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but its doors are set to reopen later this month.
The new space is part of the Singapore Tourism Board's move to get more people to visit Chinatown.
In 2024, the firm saw growth of between 10 and 20 per cent, said Mr Koh.
While this was encouraging, the increase in business was not as fast as expected, he said.
He noted that it remains to be seen if travellers will continue to want to travel in large groups as they used to before the pandemic. The company had seen an increase in inquiries from the Chinese market.
“We do have an arm that caters to the Chinese demographics, and we're hoping to also improve our offerings to the Chinese market, and hopefully we'll be able to meet that demand,” he added.
Related:
Continue reading...