SINGAPORE: The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) will partner with Airbnb Experiences to offer a variety of online tourism experiences to global audiences amid the “new international tourist climate”.
In a news release, STB and Airbnb said they signed a two-year memorandum of understanding (MOU) on Thursday (Oct 22) to “co-promote and grow a range of experiences” hosted by locals on the Airbnb Experiences platform.
Airbnb describes the Experiences platform as one that allows customers to partake in “one-of-a-kind activities designed and hosted by locals”. Examples include guided museum tours, dance classes and cooking sessions with locals.
“Airbnb Experiences and STB will jointly drive quality travel experiences in Singapore as well as encourage Singapore tourism industry players to digitalise and pivot towards innovative hybrid business models,” the release read.
The partnership with Airbnb Experiences is “a timely one”, said STB chief executive Keith Tan.
“As travel gradually resumes, we want to focus on strengthening Singapore’s brand image in the minds of audiences around the world, and ensure that our destination remains top-of-mind,” he said.
“This partnership will also give passionate Singapore hosts a world-leading platform to reach out to quality travellers globally, while helping them innovate and explore new business models.”
VIRTUAL TOURS, DATA SHARING
STB and Airbnb Experiences have developed and launched Singapore Virtual Trips, a “collection of online experiences hosted by iconic Singapore tourism industry partners and featured on a dedicated landing page of the Airbnb platform”.
It will include a sustainability-themed tour of Gardens by the Bay’s Cloud Forest, a virtual visit to Peranakan home museum The Intan and an interactive bingo tour of the one-north tech precinct.
Airbnb Experiences Gardens by the Bay
A screengrab of an Airbnb Experiences page offering a tour of Gardens by the Bay’s Cloud Forest.
More industry partners are expected to join the initiative, STB and Airbnb Experiences said, adding that the partnership will encourage business to go online and pivot towards innovative hybrid business models.
The page will also feature content offering international travellers an opportunity to explore the country virtually, the organisations added.
Future collaborations will include in-person experiences in categories such as dining, nature, wellness and the arts.
A lineup of co-branded content featuring Singapore as a destination and Airbnb Experiences will also be released on their respective platforms and channels, as well as to industry partners via STB’s Tourism Information and Services Hub.
STB was also invited to access Airbnb’s Experience’s data-sharing platform City Portal, which is aimed at governments and tourism bodies.
“Data and knowledge exchange will help both parties onboard more targeted Singapore Experiences, refining tourism products and services in this new environment through a deeper understanding of the evolving traveller profile,” said STB and Airbnb.
Airbnb’s senior vice-president of policy and communications Chris Lehane said the company is “excited to be partnering with the Singapore Tourism Board to promote experiential travel in one of the world’s most vibrant and dynamic communities”.
“It is through using the Airbnb platform to showcase the incredible people of Singapore to the world that … we can help support the recovery of international tourism,” he said.
