STB enhances Haji Lane tourist experience with Snapchat's AR tech

Singapore Tourism Board (STB) has plans to enhance visitors’ experience at tourism hotspots through a strategic initiative with Snapchat to leverage Augmented Reality (AR). The collaboration looks to enhance visitors’ experience and destination story-telling and drive discovery of local shops and businesses among Snapchat’s audience base which reaches over 75% of 13 to 34 years-old in over 20 countries. 

This initiative with Snapchat is part of STB’s ambition for Singapore "to be a living lab that powers the future of travel" and a launch pad for global companies to partner on tourism applications, said the company in a press release.

Beginning with a pilot in Haji Lane - Singapore’s tourist destination, STB and Snapchat will be unveiling a host of five AR experiences at the location with a variety of ways to use AR, from games to polls to sharing of trivia information. These AR experiences utilise Snapchat’s “Custom Location” lens technology, built upon existing, real-world infrastructure with digital effects. The lens lets users explore the site in a whole new way, with interactive AR content that brings the history and culture of the area to life. To activate the AR Lenses, visitors can scan a Snapcode (QR code) placed right in front of each location through the Snapchat app.

A mural on the facade of Piedra Negra, a local Mexican restaurant, will come to life offering fun facts on Haji Lane. Visitors can also try on a batik dress from Utopia Apparels, play a fun game at Drunken Balloon, have their palm read at Shalaby Sweets and express their mood at ‘I am’ café.

Don't miss: STB boosts tourism in SG with magical Disney Cruise set to sail in 2025

The lens experience was built by Snap Lens Network partner Gowaaa, a Singapore-based AR development team, built these lenses through Snap’s AR creation tool, Lens Studio- is a powerful application designed for artists and developers to build augmented reality experiences Snapchatters.

These lenses showcase how the Snap Camera continues to play a transformative role in how people experience the world around them, combining what they see in the real world with all that’s available to them in the digital world.

Wong Ming Fai, chief technology officer, STB said: “We know that travellers increasingly want more than just a typical travel experience and are looking for something unique, immersive and memorable. Partnerships like this allow STB and tourism businesses to leverage Snap’s AR technology to offer visitors a new way to explore Singapore, and these efforts will help us stay ahead of the curve and set Singapore apart from other destinations.”

Wong added: “As we embark on this pilot, we welcome both locals and visitors to participate and provide feedback on it so we can continually innovate on such novel experiences.”

Sophia Dominguez, director, AR platform partnerships and ecosystem, Snap Inc., said: “We are thrilled to leverage our Custom Location AR technology to provide more innovative and immersive experiences to both domestic and international travelers.”

With over 250 million Snapchatters engaging with AR daily on average, Snapchat looks forward to seeing how visitors interact with these new AR Lenses at Haji Lane and how it can be used to create more immersive, interactive experiences in the future, Dominguez added.

MARKETING-INTERACTIVE has reached out for more information. 

Last week, STB partnered with Disney Cruise Line to bring its magical cruise vacation to Southeast Asia for the first time with the ship set to call Singapore home for at least five years beginning 2025, according to Disney Parks' experiences and products chairman, Josh D’Amaro and Singapore’s Minister for Transport and Minister-in-charge of Trade Relations, S. Iswaran. 

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