Bangkok--9 Aug--Vivaldi Public
The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) today launched in Thailand its new destination brand — “YourSingapore”. An evolution of the “Uniquely Singapore” brand, “YourSingapore” underpins Singapore’s strengths as a destination that offers an experience which can be easily personalised by the visitor, thanks to its concentration of sights, sounds, tastes, culture and attractions coupled with unparalleled user-centricity.
As a brand, YourSingapore articulates Singapore’s uniqueness and captures what travellers seek — a personal travel experience. Visitors can look forward to an emotional reward of empowerment and liberation that allows them to travel on their own terms in Singapore, according to their individual needs, preference and interests.
YourSingapore differentiates Singapore’s value proposition from that of competitors; ensuring Singapore remains relevant and compelling to today’s travellers. It delivers on Singapore’s promise to provide a concentration of multi-faceted and user-centric travel experiences. It also positions the destination as one that is future-facing and inspiring; one where visitors are invited to make their virtual experience of Singapore a reality.
Speaking at the media launch event, Mr Chang Chee Pey, STB’s Director of Brand Management, said, “The strategy in developing YourSingapore was three-pronged: Leverage the equity of the Uniquely Singapore brand by single-mindedly qualifying Singapore’s uniqueness and attributes as a destination; build upon the emotional connection that visitors experience in Singapore and, at the same time, connect with potential visitors in the digital media space. YourSingapore taps into the motivational factors which drive their decision-making while differentiating Singapore in the destination brand marketplace.”
At the heart of the YourSingapore campaign is a holistic approach that includes both traditional and digital media like a new website, search engine marketing, mobile, social media and travel e-commerce. These platforms will engage visitors before, during and after their arrival in Singapore, and will be aggressively promoted.
The portal, www.yoursingapore.com, is an innovative and interactive platform that allows travellers to conceptualise and plan their individual Singapore travel itinerary in a user-friendly manner. The campaign website facilitates sharing of experiences among travellers and local residents alike, and will be powered by up-to-date multimedia content about all things Singapore. The website www.yoursingapore.com will deliver a new virtual experience that no other destination website currently offers.
In the past few years, the way that people plan and book travel has fundamentally shifted from passive content consumption to the active engagement of empowered individuals, primarily due to the dominance of digital and social media. Video-on-demand, online news, blogs and websites that enable social interaction have changed the way that travellers seek and obtain information. YourSingapore is a response to the pervasive influence of digital media and the rise of virtual communities, as well as consumer demands for personalised travel plans.
Singapore welcomed 318,000 Thai visitors who spent S$501 million in 2009, making Thailand the 10th largest source market of visitors to the city state. In the first six months of 2010, close to 200,000 Thais have visited Singapore, which is an increase of 27% over the same period in 2009.
A NATURAL EVOLUTION OF THE UNIQUELY SINGAPORE BRAND
YourSingapore evolved from the very successful Uniquely Singapore destination brand of the last five years. Launched in 2004, Uniquely Singapore sought to build on Singapore’s position as a must-visit destination globally — one with an exciting range of vibrant, trendy and memorable experiences for discerning leisure or business travellers; delivering a unique, personal experience, which is beyond what words alone can convey. Uniquely Singapore built the foundation for key concepts that are crystallised in YourSingapore, namely its concentration of offerings which are easily accessible and user-centric, empowering travellers to easily personalise their own unique Singapore experience.
Mr Chang added, “We firmly believe that to differentiate Singapore in what is becoming a crowded market for destination marketing, STB has to embrace global trends and the shift in media consumption, to the extent that we have put digital at the heart of our marketing communications, in order to transform the way we reach out to our potential visitors. We will continue to use traditional media in our communications but it will play a more specific role to emotionally engage our audience and drive potential visitors to our digital platforms where they can experience and have a glimpse into what Singapore has to offer.”
EVOLVED BRAND FOR A TRANSFORMED DESTINATION
The evolved YourSingapore destination brand is being launched in a milestone year for Singapore tourism. 2010 sees the opening of two multi-billion dollar integrated resorts, Resorts World Sentosa by the Genting Group and Marina Bay Sandsฎ by Las Vegas Sands. Both properties offer myriad shopping, dining, accommodation, meeting and other leisure and entertainment options under one roof. The US$4.4 billion Resorts World Sentosa is home to South East Asia’s only Universal Studios Singaporeฎ theme park, with 18 of its 24 rides specially created for Singapore such as the world’s only “Madagascar” theme park attraction from DreamWorks Animation, and to the world’s first Far Far Away Castle, a landmark in the box-office hit Shrek series. Four of its six themed hotels have opened, and its Festive Grand theatre has raised its curtains on Voyage de La Vie, an original theatrical rock circus featuring incredible acrobatic performances. It will soon open a Maritime Xperiential Museum,
Marine Life Park and water theme park as well as a spa village.
The US$5.5 billion Marina Bay Sandsฎ has over 120,000 square metres of meeting and convention facilities, three hotel towers with 2,560 rooms, celebrity chef restaurants, and the stunning Sands SkyPark suspended atop the hotel towers 55 storeys above street level and offering breathtaking panoramic views of the city state. The multi-award winning Broadway production, Disney’s The Lion King, will be staged at one of the property’s two theatres with a total of 4,000 seats and will feature an international cast assembled from around the world. Visitors to Marina Bay Sandsฎ can also look forward to the new Marina Bay Sands Museum, which is shaped like a lotus, by the end of the year, as well as a one-of-a-kind Louis Vuitton concept store in an iconic crystal pavilion that “floats” on the waters of the bay. A second pavilion will house the exclusive high-end entertainment clubs Pangaea and Avalon, which are making their Asian debut.
Beyond the integrated resorts, the island nation is also hosting the world’s first ever Youth Olympic Games in August with over 3,000 young athletes competing in 26 sports. September will see the third instalment of the FORMULA 1 SINGTEL SINGAPORE GRAND PRIX, which is the world’s first FORMULA ONE night race on Asia’s only street circuit in the heart of the city. The country’s premier shopping street, Orchard Road, has been refreshed with new malls, flagship stores and retail concepts as well as new mall facades and event spaces along the tree-lined boulevard, while the historic Singapore River has been re-energised with new lighting schemes for its distinctive bridges, waterways and walkways to complement its variety of dining, clubbing and shopping options.
Coming on stream in the next few years are other bold and original ideas such as the International Cruise Terminal, Gardens by the Bay, National Art Gallery, River Safari, Singapore Sports Hub and Changi Motor Sports Hub that will add depth and breadth to its tourism offerings.
For more information, please contact:
Nuannang Changadveja
Senior PR Consultant
Vivaldi Public Relations
Tel: 02 612 2253
[email protected]