Local travel agents will receive more help in updating their business models to stay relevant, amid the changing preferences of travellers and the rise of online booking sites.

Yesterday, the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) and National Association of Travel Agents Singapore announced several new initiatives, including an online resource centre for travel agents and programmes to help them address manpower issues and envision new business models.

The travel agent industry is one of Singapore's core tourism industries, providing more than 10,000 jobs to residents, with about 1,200 licensed travel agents here, said STB chief executive Keith Tan in a speech at the Travel Agent Industry Forum held at Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Centre.

But changes in consumer habits, coupled with competition from various players, such as online booking sites that consumers and suppliers of travel products can access directly, have impacted travel agents' business models and sustainability, said STB's director for travel agents and tourist guides Ong Ling Lee.

A group of walking and cycling tour operators have meanwhile joined forces to form a new Tour Operators Alliance.

Cycling around the civic district and zipping through the alleyways of Kampong Glam in a Vespa sidecar are examples of day tours that have grown in popularity among both tourists and locals here, said its members, which include Monster Day Tours, Let's Go Tour Singapore, Singapore Sidecars, Ruby Dot Trails, and Tribe.

Banding together helps to boost scale and capabilities, for example, by sharing tour guides and combining tours, said Monster Day Tours founder Suen Tat Yam.

Let's Go Tour's co-founder Daniel Tan said the four-year-old business, which offers cycling tours and cooking classes that include trips to the wet market, has seen sales grow by 15 per cent to 20 per cent each year.

"Tourists nowadays are more discerning, especially younger travellers who are looking for something more experiential rather than your typical bus tour," he said.