SINGAPORE, Jan 22 — Tourists visiting the Republic can expect to go cashless at more destinations across the island, as part of a new tie-up between the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) and ride-hailing firm Grab.
Under a three-year Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed today, both parties will also launch a joint study on the behaviourial patterns and transport preferences of tourists travelling in Singapore.
“The insights gained will help both Grab and STB to tailor offerings that are more relevant and enhance the overall visitor experience,” STB and Grab said in a joint press release.
The two parties also expect to exchange travel data, such as estimated fares and waiting times, in a bid to help travellers better plan their routes.
Meanwhile, Grab will offer a range of transport services to STB’s partners in the Meetings, Incentive Travel, Conventions and Exhibitions industry in Singapore.
STB’s chief technology officer Quek Choon Yang said the collaboration with Grab “extends beyond transportation to include sharing of consumer intelligence data and spearheading innovation and technological initiatives”.
He added: “With Grab’s extensive presence in the Southeast Asian region, which contributes a very large share of our visitors, we are confident of reaching a sizable audience through the multi-faceted touch points offered through the Grab app.”
The joint statement did not say when the new initiatives would kick in.
It noted, however, that Grabpay, the ride-hailing firm’s payment platform, would be rolled out to tourist hotspots such as hawker centres, dining establishments, cultural and lifestyle precincts, shopping centres and other attractions.
Grab has been trying to promote its payment platform beyond transport fares.
In late August last year, the company announced that it will allow users to pay for food, beverage, retail, entertainment and other goods and services with GrabPay credits. Earlier this month, Grab and NTUC FairPrice launched a subscription service which offers savings and rebates, as well as access to grocery and transport services to customers.
Grab has emerged as one of the largest on-demand transportation and mobile payment platforms in South-east Asia, winning popularity in countries such as Indonesia and Thailand, which are among the top sources of tourist arrivals for Singapore.
According to the STB’s international visitor arrivals statistics published on January 5, there were about 2.4 million visitors from Indonesia from January to October last year. In the same period, 453, 242 visitors came from Thailand. — TODAY
