Mastercard and STB create tools to reimagine tourism in digital-first age

Mastercard and the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) announced a partnership, with STB being the first national tourism organisation to join Mastercard’s City Possible programme. As part of the programme, the two partners will collaborate on addressing challenges faced by Singapore’s tourism industry.

Through the partnership, a range of solutions and initiatives will be explored to help the sector transform their businesses, pivot to new audiences, and prepare for the gradual return of international visitors. With increased demand for contactless options in a COVID-19 world, the partnership will commence with co-creating digital initiatives for seamless international travel and e-commerce, while enhancing the experience for consumers.

This partnership is under Mastercard’s City Possible programme, which has been designed with the vision to #MakeTechWorkForPeople by aligning key stakeholders to address challenging issues faced by city planners. City Possible connects its members to holistic urban solutions and provides unrivalled access to the best knowledge and expertise from a global community of urban leaders, businesses, NGOs and academics.

It will see Mastercard and STB collaborating on these projects with the following objectives:

Joint technology development – The partners will work together to research and develop ways to enhance STB’s Visit Singapore Pass (VSP) to provide more contactless ticketing and payments for tourism offerings in Singapore. This will provide a more seamless journey for all consumers in Singapore, tourists and locals alike.

Generate insights and identify trends – The partners will also share data insights2 and collaborate in using the insights for business planning in the tourism industry. For example, information on spending VSP is a single digital pass that provides visitors with seamless access to curated experiences across Singapore, using a universal ticketing standard.

Joint marketing – The partners will identify opportunities to work together on joint marketing and advertising campaigns that will drive visitorship to Singapore’s tourism offerings, as Singapore prepares for the gradual return of international visitors.

“We are honoured to partner Mastercard as this collaboration will allow for greater sharing of ideas, resources, and expertise. This partnership places Singapore and STB on the path to becoming a global lab for solutions and pilots, creating travel experiences that are safe, yet personalised to the needs of our visitors,” said Keith Tan, chief executive of Singapore Tourism Board.