Keith Tan took over the reins of the Singapore Tourism Board just under a year ago. He joined STB from his role of deputy secretary of policy at the Ministry of Defence. Tan joined the Singapore Tourism Board midway through its 2016-2020 travel marketing strategy, which focuses on stories, fans and channels.
What do you see as some of the best destination marketing campaigns in the past few years that have made the most of social media? Are there any that you wish you had thought of?
Tourism Ireland’s “Fill your heart with Ireland” global campaign used technology to monitor the physiological responses of a couple visiting Ireland for the first time. It showcased the various sights and attractions in Ireland, as well as the couple’s authentic reactions and responses in a heartfelt and innovative manner.
Inspired By Iceland’s “Iceland Academy” rolled out a series of video tutorials on Icelandic culture. Tutorials ranged from fun and quirky topics such as taking selfies and hot tub etiquette to essentials such as packing warm.
I liked how these videos provided visitors with insider tips on travelling safely and responsibly.
In 2016, Sweden introduced its own phone number in “The Swedish Number” campaign, which connected callers from abroad with regular Swedes who had downloaded an app to participate.
The campaign went viral, with nearly 200,000 calls received from 190 countries. Through this innovative campaign, any Swede could become an ambassador for Sweden and share their views about their country through a candid phone conversation.
What role do you believe tourist boards should be playing in the digital travel age? Does technology have any potential to shape the future of destination marketing organizations?
As a start, it’s important to note that National Tourism Organisations (NTOs) play different roles in each country.
For Singapore, the STB takes on key roles as promoter, planner, facilitator and regulator:
- As a promoter, we seek to increase the mind-share of Singapore in the minds of discerning international leisure and business travellers through a strong brand and innovative marketing.
- As a planner and facilitator, we plan ahead to help the tourism industry meet the challenges of the changing environment, and facilitate exchanges with partners from around the world to unlock new areas of growth.
- As a regulator, we oversee hotels, travel agents and tourist guides in terms of licensing and standards, as well as review and update the relevant regulatory frameworks to ensure they remain relevant in the current business climate.
In all of these roles, we work with many other government agencies to ensure that we have appropriate and business-friendly regulatory frameworks and support structures to support our ambitions.
Technology enables tourism organisations and industry stakeholders to better understand visitors’ travelling patterns and behaviours, and formulate a stronger strategy to engage visitors.
Within STB, our officers are expected to be tech-savvy, be it using data analytics to gather consumer insights for marketing or using digital platforms and content to engage potential visitors.
For example, STB uses the Singapore Tourism Analytics Network (Stan) in our day-to-day work. Stan is a data analytics platform that leverages tourism-related data aggregated from both STB and the industry to derive insights about our visitors.
The aim is to allow users within STB and the tourism industry access to relevant and actionable data and insights, to help them formulate strategies.
STB also developed the Tourism Information and Services Hub, a first-of-its-kind open platform allowing any global business to freely contribute and access content and travel software services for use on their own digital channels. Access to this content enables them to shape a strong narrative about Destination Singapore.
The Visit Singapore app enables visitors to explore Singapore with greater ease and convenience, enhancing their experience by offering recommendations and customized itineraries.
Supporting the tourism industry in adopting technology and innovative solutions is a major priority for STB.
We hold various innovation challenges every year, and we have now set up the STB “Tech College” which aims to increase awareness and adoption of relevant technologies and digital tools by our tourism industry stakeholders so that they can become more user-centric and data-enabled.
What is your view on tourist boards acting as platforms for the sale of product – hotels, tours and activities… or, should they be purely about marketing a destination?
It is for each NTO to determine their role in the sale of tourism products based on its resources, strengths and mandates.
For the STB, we do not see a need to do so, as our market is robust and our tourism stakeholders are able to hold their own.
However, partnerships with tourism stakeholders are central to our work in growing the tourism industry and driving businesses forward, and we continue to be on the lookout for new ways to work with them.
How have the skills required for traditional destination marketing evolved since the advent of social media?
Traditional destination marketing tends to be brand or sales driven. In this digital age, NTOs have to engage travellers at every stage of the consumer journey from awareness to advocacy, and technology enables us to do so.
Technology allows us to identify specific audience segments, and deliver highly personalised and creative destination marketing based on demography and interests.
Social media enables us to connect directly with potential travellers, and engage them in a personal manner. It also allows us to have frequent and timelier engagement.
By monitoring social media trends, we can see what people are talking about, and tap opportunities to start conversations about Singapore.
For example, when Samsung launched its Galaxy Fold mobile phone last year, we responded with a cheeky photo of Singapore’s ice-cream sandwich, which is also foldable and much cheaper. The post reached more than 140,000 people and received more than 4,000 responses on social media.
Keith Tan will be speaking at WiT Singapore 2019.
Source: PhocusWire
