Redefining Travel: Kenneth Lim on Singapore Tourism Board’s Bold Vision

Forget everything you thought you knew about destination marketing. As global travellers crave deeper, more meaningful experiences, the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) isn’t just adapting, it’s rewriting the playbook. Through cinematic partnerships, immersive technology, and first-of-its-kind tourism experiences that blend nature, wellness, and urban innovation, Singapore is pioneering new frontiers in travel engagement, crafting experiences that resonate with today's discerning travellers.

We sat down with Kenneth Lim, Assistant Chief Executive of the Marketing Group at the Singapore Tourism Board, to uncover how the city-state is moving beyond traditional campaigns to create culture-shaping moments, drive emotional resonance, and turn visitors into lifelong advocates. Get ready for a bold conversation that reveals what it truly takes to lead in the next era of destination marketing.

1. What’s one tourism trend you think is underrated but full of potential?

With Singapore as a “City in Nature”, there is significant untapped potential in curated nature-wellness tourism that goes beyond just visiting our green spaces. Singapore has a unique opportunity to blend urban wellness with our biophilic landscape through immersive experiences - from forest therapy walks in parks set against city skylines to wellness activities on rooftop gardens of skyscrapers as well as other green spaces peppered throughout the island.

This trend would appeal to the growing segment of travellers seeking restorative experiences, including those who are drawn to the novelty of finding meaningful interactions with nature for wellness within a modern city. There are a lot of opportunities for tourism businesses to create innovative wellness experiences for travellers. According to the Global Wellness Institute, the wellness tourism market would surge from US$651 billion in 2022 to US$1.4 trillion by 2027, making it one of the most rapidly growing and robust sectors in the global wellness economy. Additionally, the institute has also found that wellness travellers spend 41% more than the typical international tourist.

2. What’s one inspiration STB draws from outside tourism (like tech, fashion, or entertainment) that informs your marketing strategy?

According to Expedia Group’s Unpack 2025 report, two-thirds of travellers shared that movies, streaming services and TV shows have influenced their travel choices. An example would be a more than 30% Year-over-Year increase in interest to travel to Dubai after The Real Housewives of Dubai series aired.

This insight, along with growing ad fatigue, has encouraged STB to pursue branded entertainment partnerships in film, TV and music as key pillars of our content strategy. This enables us to diversify beyond traditional advertising while building deeper emotional connections with audiences through entertainment. By tapping on star power as well as the global appeal and accessibility of these entertainment formats, the integration of destination Singapore will not only reinforce our visibility as a world-class leisure destination but also drive affinity and travel consideration. Most recently, the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) and STB partnered with Max and Universal Studio Group on the season four finale episode of the Emmy-winning comedy series HACKS, featuring iconic locales in Singapore, such as Gardens by the Bay, Resorts World Sentosa, The Clifford Pier and Victoria Theatre. Other examples include STB’s collaboration with Universal Music Singapore and pop-rock band, OneRepublic, for the release of a behind-the-scenes video filmed in Singapore about the inspiration for their instrumental track, Singapore.

3. With AI and immersive tech on the rise, what’s your vision for how people “experience” a destination before even landing? 

The future of pre-arrival destination experiences lies in creating meaningful digital touchpoints that enhance rather than replace physical travel. Through AI and immersive technologies, destinations can potentially offer visitors a preview that builds anticipation while preserving the element of discovery. This could include AI-powered personalised virtual tours that are customised to individual interests.

Other examples include the integration of destinations within gaming where users globally can experience and explore a virtual environment with elements inspired by destination icons. For instance, STB partnered with online gaming platform Roblox to launch an immersive experience titled Singapore Wanderland, inviting users to explore Singapore’s iconic attractions through refreshed content like mini-games, quests and prizes. The platform also created an avenue for local tourism businesses to experiment and find new audiences in virtual environments, thus allowing users to get a peek into the destination prior to landing.

4. What excites you most about the next generation of travellers (Gen Z and Alpha)?

According to Expedia Group’s Unpack 2025 report, 63% of travellers – including a significant share of Gen Z – expressed interest in visiting off-the-beaten-path destinations on their next trip. This suggests their search for hidden gems, local-only experiences and places of interest that are less mainstream than tourist hotspots. Singapore’s tourism sector is well-positioned to tap on this trend, creating opportunities for tourism experiences like local hawker food tours or lesser-known neighbourhoods and cultural districts like Tiong Bahru and Joo Chiat.

Another significant shift is the seamless integration of AI and technology into their daily lives. Digital-first experiences that are intuitive and personalised are increasingly accessible. Given the next generation's digital fluency, destinations have unprecedented opportunities to enhance the travel experience through technology. AI-powered personalisation can deliver tailored recommendations and seamless services, while immersive technologies can create engaging pre-arrival experiences and enrich on-site exploration. This tech-enabled approach not only streamlines practical aspects of travel through contactless solutions and real-time updates but also opens new possibilities for storytelling and destination discovery, all while maintaining the authentic human connections that remain central to meaningful travel experiences. In line with this digital transformation, STB continues to harness AI capabilities to enhance visitor engagement and deliver more personalised tourism experiences, reinforcing Singapore's position as a forward-looking destination.

5. What’s a partnership STB has pursued (or would like to pursue) that you believe could redefine destination storytelling? 

STB has embarked on branded entertainment partnerships across entertainment formats such as music and TV, representing a shift from traditional tourism marketing to organic, culture-shaping narratives. Through collaborations with global artistes like Coldplay and BTS's Jin, whose music videos "Man in The Moon" and "Don't Say You Love Me" respectively were filmed in Singapore, we showcased both iconic landmarks and neighbourhoods, offering authentic glimpses of our destination to international audiences. Similarly, our collaboration with the “Drive to Survive” Netflix series also followed Formula 1 drivers behind-the-scenes during their time in Singapore for the annual Grand Prix, through the lens of an all-star line-up including Alex Albon, Charles Leclerc, George Russell, Lando Norris and Pierre Gasly. These partnerships demonstrate how destination marketing can transcend traditional tourism messaging to become part of popular culture.

Such opportunities showcase Singapore on the world stage to foster awareness and genuine appeal for the destination through authentic storytelling to support our marketing. These collaborations represent our vision for future partnerships - ones that organically integrate Singapore into compelling global narratives, allowing audiences to discover our destination through authentic cultural moments.

6. In an age where every place is marketing itself as an “experience,” how does Singapore stand out?

A scene from Singapore's Culinary Capital campaign featuring a musical jingle to showcase the diverse dining experiences awaiting visitors in Singapore.

In today's experience-driven tourism landscape, Singapore aims to retain its competitiveness by adopting a Fans – Delivery – Story strategy that uses data-driven segmentation to target audiences. Coupled with our data-backed segmentation and targeting approach, STB is agile in expressing the Passion Made Possible (PMP) destination brand and story differently according to consumer trends and segments, ensuring that it remains relevant and compelling across diverse audiences.

Supporting the strategy, STB has forged strategic partnerships that create exclusive moments visitors can't find elsewhere. For instance, collaborations with Marina Bay Sands and UOB have yielded distinctive Singapore-only experiences, while partnerships with Wiggle Wiggle and the Singapore Flyer have introduced novel ways to experience familiar landmarks.

Singapore amplifies its appeal by transforming major events into city-wide celebrations that engage visitors across multiple dimensions. During tentpole events like F1 and major concerts, STB collaborates with industry partners to curate various activations that enliven the destination. For example, the Grand Prix Season Singapore (GPSS) extends the excitement beyond the race track, with partners creating experiences that span dining, retail and entertainment. Over the Lady Gaga concert period, STB collaborated with Universal Music Singapore and regional KOLs to drive greater consideration for Singapore and its tourism offerings. The intent is to encourage them to try something new in Singapore, given their desire for immersive experiences, off-the-beaten-path discoveries, and hands-on activities.

Understanding that travellers seek deeper connections, STB has also launched targeted marketing campaigns that showcase Singapore's diverse strengths, including campaigns positioning Singapore as a global culinary capital, and the world’s best MICE city.

Moving forward, STB will continue to tell authentic, compelling narratives that forge deep emotional connections with visitors, to stand out in an increasingly competitive environment.

Owned channels are effective for engaging existing customers and delivering consistent brand messages over time. This allows us to build long-term brand presence.

However, influencer partnerships become valuable when brands need to extend their reach beyond their current audience or target specific demographic segments. These partnerships offer authenticity and third-party credibility that owned channels sometimes can't achieve. They're especially powerful for breaking into new markets or when the campaign requires relatable, personal testimonials.

Marketing strategies often combine both approaches – using owned channels for consistent brand messaging while leveraging influencer partnerships for specific campaign objectives, audience expansion, or when seeking to add a layer of credibility through trusted voices in the community. STB adopts this balanced approach, enabling us to continually build our brand while reaching new audiences in authentic and meaningful ways.

8. What does success look like beyond arrival numbers - how do you measure meaningful engagement or impact with tourists?
In alignment with STB's Tourism 2040 (T2040) roadmap, our focus will be to grow TR faster than International Visitor Arrivals (IVA). While arrival numbers serve as a foundational metric, a more comprehensive evaluation of tourism success encompasses both quantitative and qualitative dimensions. Tourism Receipts (TR) offer valuable insights and reveal the value tourists derive from their experiences. By analysing spend patterns across segments or markets, we can understand which experiences resonate most deeply and drive meaningful engagement.

To complement these indicators and deepen our understanding of performance, we have developed a marketing measurement framework. This framework evaluates impact through both short-term campaign level indicators and long-term destination level indicators. Campaign level metrics will measure immediate outcomes of our marketing efforts, such as campaign reach, engagement, share of voice and share of search, as well as the tourism spend uplift from our partnership campaigns. Destination level indicators are primarily derived from our longitudinal brand health survey that we conduct regularly to track travellers’ response to STB’s marketing communications, and the impact on their travel consideration to Singapore.

Beyond quantitative metrics, it is also important to consider qualitative feedback from tourists. This could be derived from surveys, social listening and direct engagement which provides crucial insights into the emotional connection visitors form with Singapore.

Success in tourism today isn't merely transactional – it's about creating lasting impressions that transform visitors into advocates, encouraging deeper engagement, and fostering genuine cultural exchange.

Our contributor:

Kenneth Lim, Assistant Chief Executive of the Marketing Group at the Singapore Tourism Board