Besides holding marketing campaigns in second-tier markets, such as Kochi in India and Busan in South Korea, our hotels should also target and cater to the following groups of customers.
Our own citizens and residents, who can have staycations in hotels here.
They can unwind and enjoy short holidays right here, especially with the June school holidays coming up and the long SG50 weekend in August.
Travellers from around the region, such as Malaysia, Indonesia, Australia and Thailand, coming here for holidays, business trips and short getaways.
Muslim travellers from around the world.
Muslims make up almost one quarter of the world's population.
Hotels here should increase their capability and facilities to cater to such tourists, such as by providing halal dining options, the qibla direction to Mecca and prayer mats in hotel rooms.
In 2013, a Muslim business associate of mine from Brunei brought his family of six to Singapore for a holiday and stayed at a four-star hotel.
They did not find any halal-certified eateries in their hotel, and there was no qibla direction in their rooms.
Muhammad Dzul Azhan Haji Sahban
