Older people represent an important group of Singapore’s visitors. Five million visitors aged 45+ visited the country in 2014. Half of all visitors from the UK were of this age. But how well does Singapore Tourism accommodate the needs of older visitors? We apply the AF Brands audit tool to evaluate the Age-Friendliness of several aspects of the tourist customer journey.

1. How Age-Friendly is
Singapore Tourism?
An audit using the free AF Brands app
June 2016
© Age-Friendly 2016

2. Travel & Tourism is critically important to the
Singapore economy, contributing around 10% of
GDP in 2015.
Older people represent an important group of
Singapore’s visitors. Five million visitors aged 45+
visited the country in 2014. Half of all visitors from
the UK were of this age.
The global window to inbound Singapore Tourism is
the board’s website ‘YourSingapore” described as
being an: ‘innovative and intelligent platform that
invites visitors to make their virtual experience in
Singapore a reality’.
In addition to the web site there are several Visitor
Centres in Singapore.
Using the free version of the AF Brand app we
evaluated the quality of the customer experience
when visiting the YourSingapore web site and the
main tourist office in Orchard Road, Singapore.
Here are the results …....
© Age-Friendly 2016

3. This analysis was done using the free AF Brand app
downloaded from iTunes
An overall score of 2.9 is poor and would have
been even worse had it not been for a high score
for ‘Support’.
All of the other customer experiences had
significant problems that suggest that little
account had been taken of the needs of older
visitors.
SUMMARY RESULTS
AVERAGE SCORE 2.9
Customer Experiences
© Age-Friendly 2016

4. © Age-Friendly 2016
The staff at the tourist office provided a high
quality of face-to-face help. Their attitude and
manner of engagement with visitors was excellent.
Some were themselves of mature age meaning
that they could relate better to the needs of older
visitors.
Things that worked well

5. Older people often use the search feature on a
web site to locate the content they require. This
web site provided limited functionality and poor
colour contrast of the search results.
Things to improve
© Age-Friendly 2016

6. Access to social media is important but it
dominated this web site. For many older people it
is not an important feature.
The menu structure was poorly organised with little
use of goal orientated navigation.
The site contained overly complicated features
that were more likely to confuse than assist the
user.
Things to improve
© Age-Friendly 2016

7. !
Easy press sliding glass door entry from the street, but
steps and no rails makes access difficult for those with
mobility issues.
!
The centre required visitors to walk up steep steps to
the second floor. !
!
Things to improve
© Age-Friendly 2016

8. Seating for guest officers but not for visitors!
Things to improve
© Age-Friendly 2016

9. Singapore Insider is almost incomprehensible for older
eyes and minds. Little or no consideration given to the
needs of older visitors either in the content or the
design. !
Things to improve
© Age-Friendly 2016

10. Older people are an important part Singapore’s
tourist industry.
The digital and physical assets that support the
Singapore Tourist Board brand are of a high quality
BUT show little evidence of being designed to take
into account the physiological needs of older
tourists.
The brand would greatly benefit from a detailed
audit of all of the customer touchpoints.
The bottom line
….good staff attitude to older
people....
….nothing in the web site design
suggests the need of older people
have been taken into account...
….the physical location of the
tourist offices and their design is not
age-friendly...
© Age-Friendly 2016

11. About the AF Brands Tool
© Age-Friendly 2016
The free version of the AF Brands iPad app evaluates a customer journey through the prism of ageing.
The customer journey includes the touchpoints associated with the sales channel, the product, all
aspects of digital communicaEons, markeEng communicaEons and post sale support.
Click to watch the introductory video:
Visit our website to learn more about the app:
Go to the iTunes download page:

12. The book that inspired the software -
Marketing to the Ageing Consumer
www.age-friendly.com
Contact us: enquiries@age-friendly.com
© Age-Friendly 2016