Why Singapore is banking on a cartoon to keep Indian tourists interested in the Lion City, a ‘perennial favourite among Indians as a family destination’
- The Singapore Tourism Board’s launch of a cartoon aimed at Indian kids is presumably in the hope of encouraging post-pandemic travel from India to Singapore
- A 2016 Facebook study found that a staggering 64 per cent of parents believed their children influenced their decisions on where to go on holiday
The goalposts for post-pandemic tourism – as with just about everything else to do with Covid-19 – keep shifting, especially as the Delta variant announces its ascendance. At this rate, the Earth could complete another orbit of the sun before Asian destinations are released from border restrictions.
“With travel between India and Singapore shut down by the pandemic, STB [Singapore Tourism Board] has tied up with streaming service Voot Kids and Green Gold Animation, an Indian animation company, to bring out Chhota Bheem – Adventures in Singapore,” reported The Straits Times on July 18.
Chhota Bheem is an Indian cartoon aimed at children, and the Singapore adventures of its eponymous protagonist – “an adventurous and fun-loving boy who is gifted with extraordinary superhuman strength”, according to the show’s Wikipedia entry – have been designed to showcase the city state in all its technicolour, two-dimensional glory.
“The series, an attempt at brand integration, will be set in various locations across Singapore such as Jewel Changi Airport, HSBC Rain Vortex, Singapore Botanic Gardens, the Singapore Zoo and Night Safari, among others,” reports Indian financial newspaper Mint. “In addition to the webisodes […] children will also have access to e-books and interactive games modelled on the show, which will be available for download from the Voot Kids app.”
This targeted charm offensive has been described by G.B. Srithar, STB’s regional director for India, the Middle East and South Asia, as “a gift of smiles from STB to audiences in India. We are hoping the series allows them to have some fun.” Presumably, the STB is also hoping that the series encourages post-pandemic travel from India to Singapore. As Srithar noted, “Singapore has always been a perennial favourite among Indians as a family destination.”
Before the pandemic, India was Singapore’s third-largest source market for tourists, behind China and Indonesia, accounting for 1.42 million of the city’s 19.1 million international arrivals in 2019.
In an interview with Indian newspaper The Financial Express last October, Srithar said, “India has grown in importance for Singapore over the last decade and we were the first [tourism bureau] to stage a consumer engagement event in India during the Covid-19 situation,” before listing numerous marketing campaigns aimed at encouraging Indian tourists to “rediscover now, travel later”.
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Of course, product placement is nothing new, even when the product is a place. Voot, the all-ages Indian streaming service, already has a show, called Cheat Week, in partnership with the STB, according to Mint. However, Chhota Bheem’s role in the STB’s engagement plan is an interesting one because of its audience – those far too young to decide on holiday destinations.
Or are they?
A 2016 Facebook study found that a staggering 64 per cent of parents believed their children influenced their decisions on where to go on holiday, and, according to the American Psychological Association, several studies “have found that parent-child conflicts occur commonly when parents deny their children’s product purchase requests that were precipitated by advertising”.
Millions of kids in India – and beyond, thanks to Netflix, although the Singapore spin-off will be available only from Voot Kids – are familiar with Chhota Bheem’s adventures, and potentially inspired by them, too. Could that mean millions of Indian families making a post-Covid-19 trip to Singapore to satisfy the desires of their progeny?
It seems that the STB is banking on it.
New Phuket rules as authorities tackle Thailand’s Covid-19 surge
Phuket might be open to vaccinated international arrivals but it is off-limits to anyone travelling from elsewhere in Thailand until August 16, as authorities try to stop a surge of Covid-19 infections from reaching the resort island.
Phuket has been pivotal to Thailand’s efforts to revive its tourism industry, having welcomed those fully vaccinated without quarantine from July 1. Tourists who stay on Phuket for more than 14 days are then allowed to travel to other parts of the country.
“Foreign [Affairs] Ministry spokesman Tanee Sangrat said the new travel rules will restrict movement to Phuket from elsewhere in Thailand, meaning foreign visitors who stay on the island will not be affected,” Reuters reported on July 29. International travellers who have left Phuket will be allowed to re-enter “only if they have international flights booked from the island’s airport”.
All of which exposes the perils of holidaymaking in times of pandemic.
Hong Kong trams scoop Guinness World Record
Hong Kong’s iconic trams are superlative in many ways. The fleet offers arguably the cheapest, most charming and most environmentally friendly way to travel along the northern coast of Hong Kong Island. This year, the Pantone Color Institute recognised the ding dings’ signature shade as an official colour, “HK tram green”. And on July 30, Hong Kong Tramways earned the Guinness World Record for being the “largest double-decker tram fleet in service”.
Speaking at the announcement ceremony, Frank Chan Fan, Hong Kong’s secretary for transport and housing, said: “It’s my great pleasure to be here to witness and congratulate the Hong Kong Tramways for being officially awarded with the Guinness World Records title […] HK Tramways is a living legend that has served Hong Kong since 1904; it carries not just the passengers but also our collective memories.”
