Entrepreneurs, can you help make the Sentosa experience seamless for visitors?

SINGAPORE — Improving Sentosa’s transport infrastructure, having an integrated mobile application for all its attractions, and finding more ways to cater to visitors seeking nature and nostalgia.

These are some opportunities that entrepreneurs can exploit under a new scheme launched by the Sentosa Development Corporation (SDC) this week, suggested business owners and analysts approached by TODAY.

Under the Sentosa x Enterprise scheme launched on Tuesday (Apr 16), interested entrepreneurs can use the resort island to test innovative business concepts that help make the place more attractive to foreign and local visitors. In return, their venue rental will be waived or subsidised.

If proven to be viable, these concepts may eventually be commercialised, said SDC’s assistant chief executive Chin Sak Hin.

MAKE IT SEAMLESS

The main gripe about Sentosa among business operators on the island, is the challenge that visitors face in getting around.

Mr Leong Yue Weng, general manager of indoor theme park KidZania Singapore, said: “We look forward to innovative and sustainable ideas that can improve connectivity and wayfinding around the island, especially for families with young kids and non-English speaking guests”.

More information on how to get to specific attractions is needed, said Mr Zishan Amir, general manager of outdoor adventure park Mega Adventure.

“We get a lot of phone calls from guests every day, asking ‘How to get to your attraction?’ The entry points to the island don’t display all of the information,” said Mr Zishan.

Besides transport infrastructure within the island, accessibility from mainland Singapore is another challenge to tackle, said Dr Michael Chiam, a senior lecturer in tourism at Ngee Ann Polytechnic.

“The most pressing need in Sentosa is transportation. They need to resolve infrastructure issues first, for people to go there,” he said.

Calling it a “chicken and egg” problem, he said transportation into and out of the island, especially late at night, is inconvenient. Businesses don’t want to invest in the infrastructure due to the lack of a critical mass, which in turn discourages visitors from heading to the island.

“You cannot look at Sentosa as an attraction that opens at 10am and closes at 10pm. It has to be a place where you can party all you want, any time you want, so you can go there anytime you want,” he added.

Dr Chiam suggested having driverless vehicles to help visitors get into and around the island at any time of the day.

Ms Alice Tan, a tourism lecturer at Nanyang Polytechnic, suggested the use of mobility scooters or electric buggies.

Overnight rental of such transport options, as well as the installation of docking stations could also be explored, she added.

Another way to improve visitors’ experience on the island is a mobile app which integrates all of the island’s attractions and services, said Mr Zishan. An app that incorporates a single payment gateway for the multiple attractions and that provides visitors with the necessary information could be considered.

While Sentosa offers multiple activities and attractions, the businesses are independent operators, which means the customers’ journey is not seamless, he said.

Mr Zishan said he is working with the SDC on a queue management system that allows visitors to take part in another activity while waiting for their turn for another. Visitors will not have to waste their time queuing, which would “affect overall customer experience”.

The average queueing time for guests for Mega Adventure is about 45 minutes to an hour, he said.

“When the guest is queueing and waiting for attraction… could they then buy the ticket and book a time, experience something else and come back one hour later? It’s like an online ‘chope-ing’ (booking) system,” he said.

ECO-TOURISM AND AUTHENTIC EXPERIENCES

Associate Professor Lawrence Loh of the National University of Singapore’s (NUS) Business School said that travellers are now more sophisticated.

The Sentosa x Enterprise scheme could nurture attractions – with an eco-tourism concept, perhaps – that target niche travellers, he said.

Sentosa could consider reviving its campsite, suggested Ms Tan from Nanyang Polytechnic. Families could pitch a tent from scratch or rent caravans and enjoy stargazing at night.

With limited campsites on mainland Singapore, Ms Tan said such nostalgic attractions could make Sentosa more attractive.

“Something more rustic, more authentic… have those caravans for rental. Sleep for one night or two, do some cooking together,” she said.

The walking trail near Siloso beach is “very, very underutilised”, Ms Tan noted.

More tours of the walking trail could be conducted in the evening, where nature lovers could spot animal species such as the Oriental Magpie Robin.