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Jakarta Post

Singapore launches campaign to lure Indonesian tourists

As a nearby and popular destination for vacationing Indonesians, Singapore has launched a marketing campaign targeting tourists from its biggest neighbor in Southeast Asia

Anton Hermansyah (The Jakarta Post)
Jakarta
Thu, September 7, 2017

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s a nearby and popular destination for vacationing Indonesians, Singapore has launched a marketing campaign targeting tourists from its biggest neighbor in Southeast Asia.

The campaign, dubbed “Passion Made Possible,” portrays the city-state as a place for visitors from Indonesia to fulfill their travel dreams and pursue any passion, whether as food bloggers, explorers, collectors or socializers.

“Consumers are becoming increasingly driven by their passions in making travel decisions. We want to communicate that Singapore can fulfill the passions of tourists and visitors,” said Edward Koh, executive director of the Singapore Tourism Board, during the launch on Wednesday.

Boasting itself as the “melting pot” of Asia, Singapore is trying to convince Indonesian visitors that it offers them the opportunity to meet people who share similar passions.

“We want to establish a deeper, more personal connection between Singapore and our Indonesian fans and friends,” Koh said.

The board partners with over 100 Singaporean and Indonesian personalities to show how they can pursue their passions in Singapore.

Among Indonesian personalities pursuing their passion in the city-state is Gianti “Gigi” Giadi, a seasoned Indonesian dancer who splits her time between Jakarta and Singapore as a dance instructor.

The board’s Koh also mentioned other Indonesian figures who had remarkable careers in Singapore, such as Karen Carlotta, a female chef, and Irvin Gunawan, the founder of Irvins Salted Egg, an emerging popular snack producer.

The Singapore Tourism Board also recently sponsored young Indonesian mural artists Bunga Fatia and Karina Deagusta to collaborate with their Singaporean counterpart Mohammad Azlan Ramlan, who is known by his stage name, Ceno2.

The three artists went to Singapore’s Kampong Glam to create a mural with a touch of Indonesian elements, such as a Javanese blangkon cap and batik.

Dreaming of traveling around the world to showcase her art, Karina said working with overseas professional artists made her confident in pursuing her passion.

A campaign focusing on passion was relevant for Indonesians as they needed more convincing experiences beyond simple attractions, said the board’s Indonesia director, Raymond Lim.

In 2016, Singapore attracted 2.89 million tourists from Indonesia, 6 percent growth from the previous year.

During the first half of 2017, the number of Indonesian tourists visiting Singapore grew by 4 percent year-on-year (yoy).

The board was focusing its campaign this year in Jakarta, Surabaya, East Java, Bandung, West Java, and Medan, North Sumatra, Lim said.

It plans to establish in October a second office, which will be located in Surabaya, in a bid to strengthen the campaign in the eastern part of Indonesia, including Malang (East Java), Denpasar (Bali) and Makassar (South Sulawesi).

Lim said Surabaya was chosen because the capital city of East Java was the second-biggest source after Jakarta for Indonesian tourists visiting Singapore, with a 7 percent increase last year.

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