Singapore Tourism Board eyes more repeat Filipino travelers after renewed ties with PAL

MANILA, Philippines — The Singapore Tourism Board renewed its partnership with the country's flagship carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) as it looks to further boost the number of Filipino tourists in the city-state.

Taking part in the contract renewal at Makati Shangri-La for Singapore Tourism Board on Wednesday were chief executive Melissa Ow and executive director for Southeast Asia Terrence Voon while for PAL were president Stanley Ng and executive vice president - general counsel Carlos Luis Fernandez.

Ow shared that since the original partnership began two years ago, Singapore saw nearly 700,000 FIlipino tourists arrive in 2023, equivalent to 84% of the arrivals in 2019, the full year before the COVID-19 pandemic travel restrictions.

She added that for the first half of 2024, Singapore has recorded more than 300,000 Filipino arrivals and it is on track to reach pre-pandemic numbers.

Speaking to members of the media including Philstar.com, Voon said the Singapore Tourism Board will shift focus from promotions with stores to experiences and accommodationss, to tell the story behind "what to experience in Singapore."

Voon acknowledged differences in Singapore Tourism Board's partnership with another major local airline Cebu Pacific, noting flyers there are often young workers while with PAL, there are more repeat travelers.

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"Filipinos are coming back and spending more on food and shopping, which shows the lifestyle offerings Singapore has," Voon commented.

He told Philstar.com that theSingapore Tourism Board aims to drive the number of repeat visitors given that Filipinos are very familiar with Singapore but need a reason to keep visiting, noting that Filipinos traveled to Singapore as soon as restrictions were lifted.

Other things Singapore Tourism Board are considering to focus on with the new partnership are flying during lull periods, off-beat travel experiences and multi-generational travel.

Voon is hopeful of the latter given Singapore has many family-friendly experiences, with new ones arriving soon like Minion Land in Universal Studios Singapore and the Disney Adventure