Grab targets overseas visitors by partnering with Singapore Tourism Board

Grab will also allow selected tourism businesses to integrate its tools into their own digital platforms by sharing its booking application program interfaces. ST PHOTO: KUA CHEE SIONG

SINGAPORE - Ensuring they have enough small change in Singapore dollars to dine at hawker centres may soon become less of a headache for tourists.

They will be able to pay for hawker fare using a mobile wallet, without having to change money into Singapore dollars.

Singapore-based ride-hailing firm Grab has teamed up with the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) to offer visitors the option of paying with the GrabPay mobile wallet at "tourist hot spots".

These hot spots include hawker centres, dining establishments and tourist attractions.

The arrangement comes under a three-year memorandum of understanding (MOU) between Grab and STB, both organisations said in a joint statement on Monday (Jan 22).

The statement said the partnership will allow tourists to experience Singapore's best offerings while also supporting the country's push towards a cashless future.

Details such as whether there will be conversion charges, which hot spots will be chosen and when this feature will be rolled out are still being worked out.

In addition, Grab and STB will launch a joint study to better understand visitors' behaviours and how they move around the island. They hope the findings will help them make their offerings more relevant to travellers.

Grab will also allow selected tourism businesses to integrate its tools into their own digital platforms by sharing its booking application program interfaces. This will be done through STB's Tourism Information and Services Hub.

Targeting the foreign business crowd is also on the cards. Grab will offer its services to STB's partners in the meetings, incentive travel, conventions and exhibitions, or Mice, industry.

Said Mr Lim Kell Jay, head of Grab Singapore: "Our collaboration with STB will help ensure that locals and visitors alike can enjoy the same quality experience as they explore our city using the Grab app."

Mr Quek Choon Yang, STB's chief technology officer, said: "With Grab's extensive presence in the South-east Asian region, which contributes a very large share of our visitors, we are confident of reaching a sizeable audience through... the Grab app."

Grab is aggressively expanding its GrabPay mobile wallet platform. It also announced on Monday that it signed an MOU with oBike to integrate GrabPay into the bicycle sharing firm's app.

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