Tourism attractions underestimate agents, says chief

He said few attractions “truly understand the extent of distribution travel agents can offer” and that a close working relationship between the two was lacking.

“ASA will encourage and facilitate travel agents who have new ways of packaging attractions. City Tours' Singapore City Pass (which pre-packs attraction admission in a Radio-frequency Identification tag) is a good example of how travel agents can help attractions. We hope that when attractions better understand how travel agents work, they will be less intimidated (about partnerships),” he said.

Cheong also points out the need for existing attractions to remain fresh in light of new entries and that while new players have created a more competitive environment, members must not lose sight of the need to work together towards a common goal of injecting vibrancy into Singapore’s tourism sector.

ASA is planning a workshop for the CEOs and top-level management of member attractions this year-end to improve relations between attractions.

It is also encouraging members to attend trade events such as the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions to “open their eyes to what's available in the world”.

(Sources: Karen Yue, Singapore, TTGAsia)