Handout photo shows Izham (third left) and Tan holding up the MoU.
KUCHING (Sept 9): Malaysia Aviation Group (MAG) and the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) have established an inaugural, multi-faceted partnership to promote destination Singapore to travellers, building on the strong momentum of travel reopening in both Singapore and Malaysia.
According to a statement, the partnership will promote Singapore as a destination of choice for travellers with varied interests and give them exclusive access to MAG’s extensive portfolio of travel and lifestyle-related services, which includes both Malaysia Airlines and Firefly.
“This partnership will also leverage Malaysia Airlines’ tour operating arm, MHholidays, providing curated travel packages for single to group travel, including flights, hotel stays, attractions, and new experiences in Singapore.
“Additionally, the partnership will allow both MAG and STB to explore tourism recovery initiatives. These include new business opportunities, joint marketing campaigns, branding, and promotional activities as well as engagements with in-market influencers and content partners to showcase Singapore as a destination where visitors can discover fresh, innovative, and unexpected experiences,” said the statement jointly issued by MAG and STB today.
Stakeholders such as event organisers from Singapore can also leverage this partnership to access Malaysia Airlines’ e-commerce platform, Journify, to cross-sell event and attraction tickets.
This will allow them access to a wider pool of visitors who enjoy travelling to Singapore for lifestyle, entertainment, and sports events.
The announcement was formalised with the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between MAG group chief executive officer Capt Izham Ismail and STB chief executive Keith Tan yesterday.
“We are pleased to collaborate with STB to support Singapore’s tourism recovery efforts and capitalise on new trends to entice more visitors to enjoy the many attractions Singapore offers,” Izham said.
“As a global airline with a significant presence in the Southeast Asia market, we believe we are well-positioned to drive demand to one of our key markets, Singapore, and lead the travel revival between the two countries through our expanded offerings and products, especially with direct flights from four points in Malaysia to Singapore.
“This collaboration comes naturally after a successful and seamless Vaccinated Travel Lane between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore during the pandemic in 2021, which was well received,” he added.
Tan said Malaysia has always been a top source of visitors to Singapore.
“STB’s strategic partnership with MAG will play a key role in driving tourism recovery efforts and reinforce Singapore’s position as a top leisure and business destination.
“We are confident that this partnership will reach out to more travellers from Malaysia and help them to discover the wide range of new experiences, events, and activities in Singapore,” he added.
Malaysia Airlines and Firefly currently provide direct flights to Singapore from Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Kuching, and Kota Kinabalu.