Alipay, the go-to smart lifestyle wallet, now accepted at 70% of merchants in Sentosa Islander Membership programme.
Singapore – Sentosa has become the first major integrated leisure destination in Singapore to go cashless for Chinese visitors, with the launch of Alipay’s payment solutions across 70 per cent of merchants that participate in the Sentosa Islander Membership programme.
The new cashless initiative is a joint collaboration between Sentosa Development Corporation (SDC), Singapore Tourism Board (STB) and Alipay, the world’s leading online and mobile payment platform operated by Ant Financial Services Group. This partnership will further enhance guest experiences and enable seamless access to Sentosa and its attractions, F&B and retail outlets for Chinese visitors, who can now enjoy more fun on the island with faster and more secure mobile transactions through the Alipay smartphone app.
Known for its diverse array of unique leisure experiences all on one island, located just minutes away from the city and shopping districts, Sentosa – The State of Fun has over 30 themed attractions, some 200 food & beverage (F&B) and retail outlets, 15 hotels with over 3,000 rooms, a mega integrated resort, two world-class golf courses, a yachting marina, and more.
The Alipay payment service, which is popular with Chinese users, is entering Sentosa at a time when China is growing in importance as a key source market for Singapore – it was the top market for visitor arrivals (1.7 million), as well as tourism receipts (S$2 billion) for Singapore in the first half of 2018.
To drive consumer awareness of and participation in the initiative, the three partners will run a marketing campaign entitled Smart Sentosa from now until March 2019. The campaign, comprising various promotions, is timed to coincide with key travel periods for Chinese visitors such as the Lunar New Year in February.
“With 19 million locals and tourists visiting Sentosa annually, technology is a key enabler in our efforts to create seamless experiences for today’s digitally savvy and connected guests. The rollout of Alipay’s cashless payment solutions in Sentosa is one fitting illustration of how we constantly collaborate with various partners on technological innovations to make our guests’ stay fun and enjoyable. Through these efforts, we look forward to welcoming even more guests to Sentosa’s unique leisure experiences,” said Ms Lynette Ang, Chief Marketing Officer, SDC.
“According to a recent Nielsen report on outbound Chinese tourism and consumption trends, Singapore was ranked one of the most popular destinations outside of Chinese mainland for Chinese tourists to visit. In Singapore, Sentosa is a favourite attraction for Chinese visitors and business delegates who convene at the various hotels for seminars and conferences. We are happy to partner with Sentosa Development Corporation and Singapore Tourism Board to deploy Alipay touchpoints across the island for Chinese visitors who are looking for the best of retail, lifestyle and dining offerings and the same seamless payment experiences that they enjoy at home. It’s a privilege that this service is being extended to Chinese visitors via Alipay for the first time. We are very excited to help merchants on Sentosa connect better with Chinese visitors,” said Ms Cherry Huang, General Manager, Cross-border Business for South and Southeast Asia, Alipay.
“STB places emphasis on close and regular collaboration with partners within and outside of the travel industry to promote Destination Singapore and deliver high-quality experiences to our visitors. Our latest partnership with Sentosa and Alipay is a good illustration of how we work with partners as visitors from China can now access discounts and benefits on various online platforms before arrival, and enjoy a seamless on-ground experience in Singapore,” said Ms Jacqueline Ng, Director, Marketing Partnerships and Planning, STB.
Epic Adventures from the Island Beyond campaign
STB and SDC have meanwhile jointly rolled out the inaugural ‘Epic Adventures from the Island Beyond’ marketing campaign, in a targeted effort to woo more Southeast Asian tourists to Sentosa.
The ‘Epic Adventures from the Island Beyond’ campaign is aligned with STB’s new Passion Made Possible brand, which focuses on telling the stories of Singapore and its people to build affinity with visitors, as well as connecting with them through their passions.
It aims to showcase Sentosa’s array of unique adventures and experiences by featuring the island’s personalities, such as flowboarder Melissa Kamil from Wave House Sentosa, SDC’s arborist Daniel Seah, as well as celebrity chef Sam Leong and his son Joe Leong from Forest 森.
The campaign consists of advertising across platforms such as print, social media and digital platforms and on-ground activations in markets such as Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
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