Last updated on May 6th, 2021 at 07:19 am
Organizations that catered mainly to visitors prior to Covid-19 are growing digital services and redeploying capital in the midst of prolonged travel restrictions due to the pandemic.
For starters, the Nam Ho Group travel company plans to launch virtual tours of travel destinations as well as an online shop selling popular overseas snacks and items.
In addition , following the spike in online shopping, 16 of its passenger vans have now been seconded to provide home delivery services. The vehicles help fulfill orders made via Lazada and Shopee e-commerce pages.
Tintin Singapore, which sells comic-related memorabilia, is closing its Chinatown store at the end of this month after talks with its landlord have been concluded. More has been invested on digital ads to draw local traffic to its e-commerce and physical store.
It is looking for a new spot, but in the meantime, the shop offers discounts of 30% and free delivery inside Singapore. Studies so far “have raised us a little, but in the longer term, a stronger structure is required to ensure our survival,” he added.
Tourists, primarily from Indonesia, Australia , Hong Kong, India and the United States, accounted for 85 per cent of shoppers until Covid 19. “We have suffered huge losses. The center used to get 70 per cent of its revenue from visitors and 30 per cent from local student tours. It is slowly uploading all its products to its e-shop, which will be a permanent offering.
Nam Ho Director Marshall Ooi said the firm is at the final stage of its virtual tour (which) enables individuals to discover new travel destinations from the comfort of their homes. Its pre-Covid-19 annual revenue for Singapore amounted to more than $55 million, split evenly between inbound and outbound travel.
The aim is to continue to entertain customers by giving them the opportunity to literally taste the famous local food fare, even if they are currently unable to visit the country.
