As tourism recovers, the industry at large has witnessed an emergence of new trends, an evolved traveller, and a reimagined way to travel. Against this backdrop, Singapore Tourism Board presented the “SingapoReimagine Global Conversations: Shaping the Future of Travel”, a thought leadership forum which brought together key business figures and industry representatives, from India and Singapore, to share opinions, spark discussions, and forge partnerships to reshape travel for Singapore and the world.
Through a partnership with News18 Network, the forum, which took place on 17th August at the Taj Santacruz, Mumbai, saw four experts and industry stalwarts coming together to deliver a dynamic, engaging and thought provoking conversation on “Decoding & Engaging Young, New Age Travellers”. Moderated by CNBC-TV18 anchor Mangalam Maloo, the star-studded panel was helmed by:
- Fong Fu Wei, Head of National Tourism and Destination Marketing Organization Partnerships (SEA and Oceania), Klook;
- Varsha Patra, Co-Founder & CEO of Homegrown
- Suchita Salwan, Founder & CEO of Little Black Book
- Abraham Alapatt, President and Group Head of Marketing, Service Quality, Innovation & Value Added Services of Thomas Cook India Group
Of late, travelling has become more about depth than breadth. While people only focused on ticking off their bucket list, earlier, the travellers of today are more interested in having an immersive experience and getting to know the culture of a place more deeply. Speaking about this, Abraham Alapatt said that this phenomenon is not just a pandemic hangover but will likely continue into the future. “Travellers definitely want a more in-depth travel experience, like a local kind of experience because there’s no point coming back with just pictures as their parents did. They want to come back with stories”, he added.