Hong Kong-based based travel activities and services booking platform Klook has been busy forming partnerships to promote tourism in Asia Pacific, recently with Grab and now with the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) in a S$2 million (US$1.47 million) domestic marketing partnership.
The partnership aims to drive local tourism in the city-state and lifestyle offerings under the S$45 million SingapoRediscover campaign. The latter, launched in July, is to to get locals to travel at home to try and “capture a sliver” of the S$34b that Singaporeans spent on overseas trips in 2018.
The seven-month collaboration, which starts this September, will focus on three areas: curated promotions for products and experiences, content development, and digital marketing to boost spend.
Businesses – from hotels and attractions to tour operators and dining establishments – will be encouraged to develop new products and experiences to inspire locals to explore precincts such as Orchard Road, Chinatown, Civic District and Katong-Joo Chiat.
“These new products and refreshed experiences would also be curated into bespoke bundles with attractive offers to appeal to different interest groups such as foodies, outdoor enthusiasts, value seekers and weekend warriors – locals who like to keep their weekends fresh and exciting,” said STB and Klook in a joint statement.
Examples include pairing a stay at Mandarin Orchard Singapore with an art jam session in the heart of Orchard Road or complementing a stay at Hotel Mono in Chinatown with a nostalgic journey on Trishaw Uncle Guided Tours.
STB and Klook will collaborate to create authentic stories, from video reviews to livestreams, to cast a spotlight on hidden gems and value-for-money promotions, as well as to raise the profile of various home-grown businesses around Singapore.
To further enhance the reach and searchability of the various promotions and offerings under this campaign, the two partners will also co-invest in digital marketing initiatives such as search engine marketing, display and social media advertising.
Lynette Pang, STB’s assistant chief executive (marketing group), said the tourism board and Klook share the same obejctive – that is to encourage locals to explore Singapore and support home-grown businesses.
“We look forward to leveraging their (Klook) digital marketing capabilities and extensive network of partners to amplify our efforts, as well as encouraging their users to support curated local experiences, quality promotions and content in the coming months,” she added.
Marcus Yong, Klook’s vice president for marketing, Asia Pacific, said through the partnership “we hope to bring back a sense of joy and adventure as locals explore their own backyard”, as well as to help “reignite the industry.”
Find out more about the STB-Klook campaign here.
• Featured image credit (Singapore Chinatown): urf/Getty Images
