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Singapore’s premier island resort getaway, Sentosa is gearing up to launch new, diverse leisure experiences for Indian travellers with the launch of new attractions and forging important partnerships in India, which is also its top visitor source market.
The 500-hectare island resort, managed by Sentosa Development Corporation, has 17 hotels on the island and a meeting and conference facility at the largest resort in Sentosa, which can hold up to 6,000 people.
Chin Sak Hin, Assistant Chief Executive, Sentosa Development Corporation (SDC), travelled to Mumbai last week to strengthen relationships with Indian trade partners and also announce a one-year strategic partnership with the country’s leading travel agencies – Thomas Cook and SOTC to tap growing possibilities in Tier-II and Tier-III markets.
India is top source market for Sentosa
Currently, India is a top source market for Sentosa and accounts for nearly a third of overseas visitors to Sentosa Island for the first half of 2023. The Sentosa Development Corporation has seen a total of 13 million visitors to Sentosa Island for the period April 2022 to March 2023. This is an increase of 38 per cent when compared with the total visitation in the same period in the previous year.
Talking about the announcement and its impact on business in the Indian market, Hin during an interaction with ETTravelWorld said the partnership with Thomas Cook and SOTC will help them develop new programs, including special itineraries and new products, in-store displays and also collaborate on distribution channels in India, especially across Tier-II and Tier-III cities.
Hin said that the Indian market has always been a very important tourism market for Sentosa. “We had Indian visitors as our top source market in the pre-Covid times. After the Covid-19 pandemic, I think the numbers have made a strong recovery. We are not quite back at the pre-Covid numbers, but they are certainly coming back very strongly. I think we have great potential because of the air connectivity that we have between Singapore and India in many of these tier-two cities,” he said during the virtual interaction.
Tapping Tier-II & Tier-III markets
The partnership is a timely and strategic move to refresh Sentosa’s brand image among Indian travellers, particularly as the island destination had repositioned itself earlier this year as an island of fulfilling experiences where discovery never ends.
On being asked about the 100 per cent recovery to pre-Covid visitor numbers, Hin denied giving a specific timeline but said the demand will gradually build up as SDC expects to go back to pre-Covid numbers within the next couple of years. “A lot also depends on air connectivity; Flights between India and Singapore have been ramped up, and we are almost back there to pre-Covid capacity,” he said.
The Indian travel buyers were represented by 94 companies from across 8 Indian cities – Mumbai, Delhi NCR, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai, Pune, Ahmedabad, and Kolkata. a. At the three-day event, 86 Australian tourism businesses displayed their products and services, demonstrating the country’s rising appeal as a holiday destination for Indian tourists.
Sentosa sees strong arrivals from India around May – July season. According to Hin, tourists in Sentosa can easily spend a week with different activities and experiences on offer. But he said, on average, spending a minimum of two to three nights in Sentosa is ideal.
Sentosa has pushed ahead with developments even amid the pandemic, and new discoveries await on the island, including attractions like the SkyHelix Sentosa, Scentopia, and Central Beach Bazaar. Apart from the anticipated return of KidZania Singapore in 2024, the latest offering being unveiled is the Shangri-La Group’s first standalone lifestyle and entertainment precinct, The Palawan@Sentosa, which soft launched on July 26 and redefines beach leisure and entertainment experiences.
New developments & focus on MICE
On August 14, multi-concept hospitality group The Tipsy Collective will launch its largest project to date, Tipsy Unicorn Beach Club in Sentosa, occupying 9,000-square-foot space including a 5,000-square-foot outdoor space featuring a 500-seater venue with indoor and outdoor areas and offering private cabanas, daybeds, and VIP lounges.
The Sentosa Development Corporation (SDC) is also working closely with the Singapore Tourism Board through programmes such as the Singapore MICE Advantage Programme (SMAP) and In Singapore Incentives & Rewards (INSPIRE), to bring MICE groups into Sentosa. Under the programme, SDC and its businesses offer a range of complimentary experiences in Sentosa for eligible events, across dining, attractions, thematic-tours, and team-building experiences.
SDC is also working closely with the Singapore Tourism Board to promote Singapore and Sentosa as an ideal luxury wedding destinations by offering wedding planners turnkey solutions as well as incentives.
In the pre-Covid times, the property organised 60-65 nuptials. With the revival of the trend of grand scale weddings, the property projects hitting the 80-100 wedding mark this year. It further aims to exponentially increase wedding share, boosting various sectors and driving demand for accommodations, transport, local artisans, event planners, florists, photographers, and more.
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