Singapore Tourism Board’s digital strategy pays off

Tourism receipts of S$18.8 million (US$14.7 million) for 2010 exceeded the year’s forecast range and international visitor arrivals to Singapore reached 11.6 million last year, falling within the year’s forecast. Among the top 15 markets (of visitor origin), 14 of them posted growth in 2010.

Shopping, sightseeing and entertainment and accommodation made up 61 per cent of tourism receipts. Gazetted hotel revenue was estimated at US$1.4 billion in 2010, up by 21.8 per cent against 2009.

Asked about the success of STB’s YourSingapore campaign thus far, assistant chief executive, international group and corporate development group, Leong Yue Kheong said that ten months into the campaign it was too early to share tangible results but that the digital strategy was definitely paying off.

STB chief executive Aw Kah Peng added that links from YourSingapore.com to hotels’ sites, showed that the website was translating to actual hotel bookings.

“It would be fair to say that there is a correlation between YourSingapore.com and visitor arrivals. We take a regular brand health check and a ‘dipstick’ approach to key markets,” said Leong.

Leong told Campaign that the next phase of the campaign will be very much focused on Facebook and Twitter, following the appointment of dedicated social conversationalist Shirley Ng and her social media team. “We’re pretty sure we’re the first NTO (national tourism organisation) to make such an appointment.”

Leong also advocated the cost efficiency of digital and social media over traditional ATL. “Instead of spending millions of dollars on an expensive branding television commercial, digital is actually proving cheaper and more effective.”

The website YourSingapore.com has already been launched in six languages, including English, Chinese, Bahasa, Vietnamese, Japanese and Korean – German will be next.

Leong added that the website had attracted a lot of traffic from the Philippines, and that market has now risen to sixth place in terms of visitor arrival numbers.

STB launched the YourSingapore campaign in March 2010. This followed an extensive agency pitch that saw BBH, MEC and XM-Asia appointed STB's creative, media and digital agencies globally.