With Indian travellers topping the list of visitors to Sentosa Island, India has emerged as a key market for the destination. Sentosa Leisure Group, formerly known as Sentosa Development Corporation recently launched the second edition of the Preferred Partners Scheme in India at a road show in Mumbai. The 12 travel agents appointed are from Mumbai, Delhi and Chennai and will partner with the Sentosa Leisure Group in promoting the destination and for creating customised itineraries for the Indian market.
The Preferred Partners from India are D’Paul's Travels and Tours, Kesari Tours, SOTC, Makemytrip.com, Cox & Kings India Pvt Ltd, Thomas Cook (India) Limited, Jagadish Air Travels, Yatra Online Private Limited, TUI- Select Vacation Pvt Ltd, Saltours International, JTB Travels Private Limited and Mercury Travels. Steven Chung, Assistant Director – Leisure Sales & International Marketing, Commercial Division, Sentosa Leisure Group, said, “Mumbai, Delhi and Chennai are the key source markets at the moment and we are concentrating all our efforts on these cities. Ever since the introduction of the first edition of the Preferred Partners scheme, we have seen a big jump in the number of Indian visitors to Sentosa Island. Our partners have probably contributed to more than 50 per cent of the growth of Indian traffic. We've also seen a 10 per cent growth in revenue from Indian visitors and these are fantastic numbers.”
In the period from April to June 2011, Sentosa Island recorded 250,000 visitors - an all time high. This was an increase of over 25 per cent compared to the same period in 2010. “Nine out of ten Indian visitors to Singapore visit Sentosa and 17 per cent of all visitors are Indians and therefore, India is the number one source market for us. Our presence through our Preferred Partners scheme will enable us to tap the market further,” stated Chung.