Destinations Known | Why Singapore is banking on a cartoon to keep Indian tourists interested in the Lion City, a ‘perennial favourite among Indians as a family destination’
- The Singapore Tourism Board’s launch of a cartoon aimed at Indian kids is presumably in the hope of encouraging post-pandemic travel from India to Singapore
- A 2016 Facebook study found that a staggering 64 per cent of parents believed their children influenced their decisions on where to go on holiday
The goalposts for post-pandemic tourism – as with just about everything else to do with Covid-19 – keep shifting, especially as the Delta variant announces its ascendance. At this rate, the Earth could complete another orbit of the sun before Asian destinations are released from border restrictions.
“With travel between India and Singapore shut down by the pandemic, STB [Singapore Tourism Board] has tied up with streaming service Voot Kids and Green Gold Animation, an Indian animation company, to bring out Chhota Bheem – Adventures in Singapore,” reported The Straits Times on July 18.
Chhota Bheem is an Indian cartoon aimed at children, and the Singapore adventures of its eponymous protagonist – “an adventurous and fun-loving boy who is gifted with extraordinary superhuman strength”, according to the show’s Wikipedia entry – have been designed to showcase the city state in all its technicolour, two-dimensional glory.
“The series, an attempt at brand integration, will be set in various locations across Singapore such as Jewel Changi Airport, HSBC Rain Vortex, Singapore Botanic Gardens, the Singapore Zoo and Night Safari, among others,” reports Indian financial newspaper Mint. “In addition to the webisodes […] children will also have access to e-books and interactive games modelled on the show, which will be available for download from the Voot Kids app.”
