Mice Affairs Media Group, India, 6th August, News Bureau
More than 200
agents from the travel trade fraternity came together to experience Singapore
virtually which was held on two days
The 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 the 27th July
for travel agents from the South and West region and then on 31st
July for travel agents from North and East India.
A reimagined experience of travel in
the future
The tour kicked off with a virtual
in-flight experience of landing in Singapore on Singapore Airlines, which was a
much-welcomed throwback to the days of pre-pandemic travel. The agents went on
to enjoy edutainment tours that were conducted by Wildlife Reserves Singapore,
getting up 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 treated to a curated
Singapore-themed lunch with a sumptuous spread delivered to their homes. They
also toured the Brass Lion Distillery, a full-fledged working distillery known
for its special Singapore dry gin. The highlight of this session was a cocktail
making masterclass conducted by the Distillery’s brand ambassador and
mixologist, Kino Soh, complete with specially-curated cocktail hampers
delivered to the agents so that they could try their hand at mixing the drinks
during the session.
Said Mr. Akhil Verma, Director – Brand
Solutions, Tripoto Travels Pvt. Ltd.: “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.”
Ms. Sunita Amarnani, Vice President -
FIT, MICE Operations and Trade Relations from Hyperlink Brand Solutions said:
“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.”
Consumers may have appetite for
such experiences
A straw poll of all participants found that more than 80% 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.
Mr. GB Srithar, STB’s Regional
Director, India, Middle East and South Asia said: “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.
Lastly, as part of our #UnitedWeStand
solidarity, STB acknowledges the adversity that our Indian travel trade
partners have faced. We hope that this event brought some relief, good cheer
and laughter during this difficult time.”
The virtual agent familiarisation
event is the latest initiative by STB to connect with travel trade partners. It
demonstrated how an immersive virtual event with a full day program can be
creatively and seamlessly delivered while keeping the audience fully engaged
and entertained.
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