SINGAPORE - Hotels, restaurants and other tourist attractions here will be able to tap a new $8 million fund to help them promote Singapore as a choice destination for business and leisure.

The SingapoReimagine Marketing Programme was launched on Wednesday by the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) to give more marketing support for these businesses.

Under the programme, successful applicants will receive funds that make up 70 per cent of their marketing campaign costs, capped at $500,000.

To encourage collaboration across the industry, a further 10 per cent, capped at $50,000, will be disbursed to applicants who partner tourism stakeholders from different sectors.

To qualify for the fund, proposals will be evaluated by a panel comprising marketing experts from STB and industry representatives.

The applications will be assessed against three key criteria:

• The creativity and relevance of the campaign;
• The effective and innovative use of media and distribution channels to deliver a message that emotionally connects with the target audiences; and
• The overall cohesiveness of the campaign and its potential impact on promoting Singapore as well as inspiring travel for leisure or business.

Mr Chang Chee Pey, assistant chief executive of STB's marketing group, said he looks forward to seeing the marketing ideas that will help the programme achieve its goal.

"We hope to rally the local industry to reimagine the way they promote Singapore, and work with like-minded partners to cut through the clutter as destinations compete for a slice of the travel pie," he said.

"For our tourism sector to recover strongly, businesses must cement Singapore's position as a must-visit destination with diverse and appealing offerings," he added.

The president of the Singapore Hotel Association, Ms Kwee Wei-Lin, said the programme will spur fresh ideas and help hotels capture a greater market share of revenge travel.

Hotels in Singapore were able to sustain their marketing efforts during the pandemic, both domestically and internationally, due to STB's continued efforts to catalyse the industry, she added.

STB said that the programme builds on the Marketing Partnership Programme, which was launched in 2020 and has helped some 350 tourism businesses maintain their international and domestic presence during the pandemic.

The $20 million Marketing Partnership Programme will conclude at the end of 2022 as international travel resumes to pre-pandemic numbers.

Applications for the new programme open on Wednesday and will end on Oct 28. Successful applicants will be announced in January 2023.