MDA (IDMPO) and NUS is organizing the Tourism Accelerator Workshop Series (AWS) with the objective of bringing together industry demand drivers, start-ups and researchers together to accelerate new technologies to the market.
Tourism AWS is the start of a series of activities which systematically matches the requirements of demand drivers, crowd source for interest and co create solutions. The lead partners of this initiative are Singapore Tourism Board (STB), Starhub and Far East Organization. (Overview of IDM In Singapore & AWS)

Vision Statement
To build a tourism centric ecosystem that will create unique tourists experiences in Singapore though the use of IDM (Interactive Digital Media) technologies and real world contextual analytics of big data to uncover real time 360 insights on tourists in Singapore.

STB, as the lead tourism agency in Singapore, aims to further grow the sector through:

• Deeper understanding of tourist behavior for planning and resource allocation
• Enhance tourist experience using IDM based on real world contextual insights
• Increase overall revenues from tourist activities through collaborations with merchants and places of interest / attractions

Aims of the Tourism AWS
The Tourism Accelerator Workshops (AWS) aims to serve the IDM ecosystem in the following manner:

• Efficient and effective matching of demand driver needs with solutions from co-creation partners.
• Addressing the potential gaps between demand driver requirements and available technologies & solutions
• Accelerating the go to market process of developed IDM applications & services.

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How to participate

Organizations are invited to participate in the following groups:

Group 1

Demand Drivers - Organizations interested in crowd sourcing for innovative apps and services for tourism sector       (Demand Driver Participation forms)

To Market Partners - Companies that aid in bringing the resulting tourism IDM apps & services to successful commercial deployment, both locally and internationally (To Market Partners Participation forms)

Expected outcomes
1. Demand Drivers - Successful crowd sourcing of new apps and services
2. To market partners – Opportunities to bundle new apps and services for local or overseas deployment

Group 2

Co creation partners - Start-ups, technology companies and institutes of higher learning (IHLs) with ready products and services looking for partnership opportunities. (Co Creation Partners Proposal to Demand Drivers)

Expected outcomes
1. Procurement or partnership with Demand Driver
2. Ready projects leverage on IDM Innovation Platforms for scalability testing or market research

Group 3

Innovation partners - Start-ups and companies keen to engage in R&D activities to develop new IDM technologies, applications and services for the tourism and hospitality sector.

Expected outcomes
1. Industry R&D projects co-funded by MDA
2. Development projects co-funded by STB's
3. Startup receiving Micro-funding through Incubators

Please email completed template to mda_idmpo_officer1@mda.gov.sg by 25^th May 2012.

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Funding Support available
Start-ups - iJAM microfunding support for start-ups (MDA)
Companies - Futurescape Co-funding support for SMEs and larger companies (MDA)
Start-ups and companies - Tourism Development Assistance Scheme (STB)

The AWS Process

Diagram 1: Accelerator Workshops (AWS) – R&D to market process

Starting with a Call for expression of interests on the 20^th April 2012, the AWS has 5 stages to crowd source and co create products, services and technology to match the requirements of the demand drivers.

Tourism AWS timeline
 

For details of the requirements and offerings of the demand drivers and partners, please see the annexes below. These will be updated on a weekly basis.

Annex A –List of Demand Drivers updated 11 Jun 2012
Annex B – List of Co creation Partners updated 11 Jun 2012
Annex C – List of Innovation Platforms updated 11 Jun 2012

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About Tourism in Singapore
2011 was a record year for Singapore tourism. Visitor arrivals reached 13.2 million, a 13 per cent year-on-year increase. More importantly, tourism receipts hit S$22.2 billion, a 17 per cent year-on-year increase. The latest projections by the World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) indicate that international tourism will continue growing in 2012, with Asia leading the growth at four to six per cent. There continue to be opportunities to explore as Singapore’s top source markets are from the Asian region which has to date remained relatively resilient.

The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) forecasts S$23 to S$24 billion in tourism receipts and 13.5 to 14.5 million visitor arrivals for 2012.

In the need to sustain a pipeline of original tourism experiences, STB encourages the industry to embrace creativity and innovation to design experiences that resonate with customers. This requires connecting with consumers and building a deeper understanding of their needs to create relevant and value-added experiences. The recently announced S$905 million for the Tourism Development Fund supports the co-creation of innovative tourism products and events, and the enhancement of workforce capabilities.