TRAVEL will not be the same in the new future. Expect the current health and safety protocols to remain, including face masks utilisation, safe distancing observation, rigorous Covid-19 testing, health passports and, at the very least, some form of quarantine.
Singapore Tourism Board Southeast Asia executive director John Conceicao shared these facts at a virtual sharing on how Singapore is navigating through the pandemic, resetting priorities and reimagining travel for the new future.
Organised by Singapore Tourism Board (STB) Malaysia, the virtual get-together titled 'Travel Reimagined: A Singapore Perspective' was attended by Singapore stakeholders, media and influencers.
Conceicao raised the curtain, followed by a session with Caviar Colony chief executive officer Benjamin Goh and Wildlife Reserves Singapore Animal Presentation assistant vice president Chan Poh Shan.
With the travel industry still grappling with the devastating impact of the pandemic, 19, Conceicao stressed the need to both reassess travel destinations as well as reimagine future experiences.
Highlighting Singapore's small but open-economy, he stressed that the republic relies on the rest of the world to progress together in unison.
" We opted for risk management instead of elimination. We introduced a unilateral green lane for travellers from Brunei, Australia, New Zealand, and some provinces in China, who wished to travel to Singapore. On top of that, we had Reciprocal Green Lane (RGL) arrangements for countries with essential business to be done," he said.
To jump-starting the MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conventions & Exhibitions) sector, Conceicao said initiatives like TravelRevive, the first Asia Pacific drive that allows international travellers to participate in safe events in Singapore, have been put in place.
TravelRevive owed part of its inaugural trial success to the Connect@Singapore initiative, which has a former Changi exposition venue renovated and turned into a fully-fledged hotel facility that adhered to all strict safety regulations.
Enabling foreign visitors to visit Singapore without any quarantine requirements, this novel implementation provides state-of-the-art and technologically advanced meeting facilities fitted with unobtrusive clear glass screens.
With Connect@Singapore, Conceicao expressed confidence in the revival of the travel industry, especially those requiring essential in-person business dealings.
He said this initiative has the full capability to facilitate essential global business exchanges and aid the revival of Singapore's global air hub status and hospitality sector back to pre-pandemic levels.
As food is very much a component of the travel industry, home-grown Singapore companies like Caviar Colony have initiated steps to use technology to overcome major obstacles brought about by the pandemic.
"We even employed Artificial Intelligence (AI) in our business to help us understand how people reacted to caviar and their buying behaviour," Goh said.
Joined by two cute and furry friends, the capybaras named Moe and Peanut, Chan Poh Shan from the Wildlife Reserves Singapore gave an informative insight on Singapore Zoo's journey from coping with the pandemic to reinventing its operations and park experience.
Despite having to close its doors to the public for the first time in history due to the pandemic, Chan said the team continues to do its best for the 15,000 animals under its care.
"We are setting aside more time focusing on animal welfare by planning out training and enrichment programmes to enhance animal behaviours and customary training. Additionally, as part of our enrichment programme, we allowed them to roam around as there's no one else in the Zoo," she shared.
As part of the initiative to reinvent the park experience, the park conducts conduct virtual programmes to bring people closer virtually to showcase the animals up close.
"This not only benefits the public, but is also a way to continue training the animals to ensure that their performance behaviours are intact when guests are allowed to visit again." she said.
With borders still closed, Wildlife Reserves Singapore has introduced Hello from the Wild Side, an initiative that enables worldwide audience to engage the animals virtually through video meetings and embark on unique interactive enclosure tours.
Apart from these live enrichment activities, Wildlife Reserves Singapore also offers personalised animal messages for special occasions like birthdays and anniversaries.
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