Singapore—With the pandemic still ongoing, most of everyone’s travel plans are still on hold. But the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) has found one way to keep Indians—particularly Indian children— on the hook through a popular children’s cartoon.
Last month, the STB launched a tie-up with Indian animation company Green Gold Animation and Voot Kids, a streaming service, to launch an animated series called “Chhota Bheem – Adventures in Singapore.”
It’s a spin-off of a popular children’s show, “Chhota Bheem,” which can be viewed on Netflix.
On Jul 17, Voot Kids invited viewers to “travel virtually with Bheem to Singapore…right from the comfort and safety of your home” in a Facebook post launching the series.
“Travel is on pause mode. But, fun can go on!,” Voot Kids added.
The first four episodes of the series are also available on YouTube, where it launched at the end of Jul in English, Tamil and Hindi.
There are a total of seven episodes planned, with Chhota Been (Little Beem) and his friends visiting different places across Singapore, including Jewel Changi Airport and the famous Rain Vortex, Singapore Botanic Gardens, the Singapore Zoo and Night Safari, and others.
Viewers of “Chhota Bheem – Adventures in Singapore” get t see Marina Bay Sands, the Singapore Flyer and Gardens by the Bay, as well as get a virtual taste of the country’s cuisine.
And, in addition to the episodes, young viewers may download e-books and play interactive games online.
Keeping Indian families interested in Singapore is vital to the tourism industry, as a recent article in SCMP pointed out. In pre-pandemic days, Indian tourists numbered only behind Chinese and Indian nationals who visited Singapore.
SCMP quotes STB’s regional director for India, G.B. Srithar, as saying that “Chhota Bheem – Adventures in Singapore” will be “a gift of smiles from STB to audiences in India. We are hoping the series allows them to have some fun.”
“Singapore has always been a perennial favourite among Indians as a family destination,” Mr Srithar added.
He told India’s Financial Express in Oct that “India has grown in importance for Singapore over the last decade and we were the first to stage a consumer engagement event in India during the Covid-19 situation.”
He added that STB has different campaigns with the message: “Rediscover now, travel later”.
/TISG
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