Singapore travel agents this week were presented a slew of initiatives all aimed at
transforming the industry that has been facing the onslaught of new technology, competition from new players, manpower-related challenges and the changing demands of travellers.
The initiatives, spearheaded by The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) and the National Association of Travel Agents (NATAS), were grouped under two headliners – “Business Transformation Through-Train” programme and a “Green Lane” programme.
“The amendments to the Travel Agents Act were passed in Parliament (recently) to foster greater innovation, reduce regulatory burden and raise industry standards by strengthening safeguards against travel agent malpractice. These initiatives will complement these legislative amendments,” said Singapore’s Senior Minister of State, Sim Ann, who was there to officiate the launch.
One of the help handles being offered is a Business Transformation Playbook, a resource for travel agents wishing to adopt new business models. It includes information on how agents may change key areas of their businesses and a self-assessment kit to take stock of current business models before taking next steps.
After assessing their current businesses, agents will then be taken through the Business Transformation Through-Train Programme which will take them through three phases: ideation, research and implementation.
“The programme will help travel agents envision new business models, identify gaps and opportunities, and implement business shifts to remain competitive,” said the joint statement by STB and NATAS.
An open call for a pilot run of the programme will be made in the first half of next year.
Another initiative being introduced is a new offline-to-online (020) portal to be launched by the second half of next year. The portal will feature themed travel fairs throughout the year, and will serve as a plug-and-play solution for agents who are not currently online.
Green Lane – fast access to technology
To push for quicker technology adoption, STB will identify and pre-qualify a set of technology solutions for funding approval so that agents interested in adopting them can do so quickly and easily. According to their statement, these solutions will include those that will support agents in basic functions such as making quotations and reservations, managing tour operations and simplifying backend processes. Technology showcases will be held regularly to familiarise agents with the recommended solutions.
STB has also begun the Tourism Innovation Challenge for Travel Agents with the first held earlier this year. From the challenge, five technology solutions ranging from those promoting customer service chatbots to data analytics, were crowdsourced from the challenge. Following this, a Travel Technology Challenge will be held next year to “proliferate new technology solutions among the industry”.
Manpower challenges tackled
An e-Onboarding Guide and Internship Guide was also launched, aimed at easing new hires into their jobs and educating travel agents on how to improve their internship programmes to attract and retain talent.
For job seekers, a new talent development platform will be launched by the second half of next year. This will be used by travel agents to source for talent and help job seekers know what skills are required, and what courses they would need to undertake to move ahead or into their travel agent career.
“Travel agents today are caught between a rock and a hard place. Our customers want better value, more customised experiences, while our processes and skills have yet to catch up. If we want to thrive, a change must be made as to how we do things, how we approach our customers, and what we offer them,” said Steven Ler (pictured left), acting president of NATAS.
