Grab rolls out Indonesia tourism content across SEA starting with Singapore

Grab has unveiled tourism content on Indonesia on its app, as part of its recent tie-up with Ministry of Tourism of the Republic of Indonesia, to bolster tourism development. This is part of the #JelajahIndonesiaLebihDekat campaign, which was launched on 26 October 2018 by both companies.Apart from offering "Smart Tourism" initiatives to provide a "more value-added" experience for domestic and foreign tourists in Indonesia, Grab will also begin co-branding efforts with the Ministry of Tourism to promote the top 10 tourist attractions in Indonesia to people in Southeast Asia, starting with Singapore.In addition to the tourism content, tourists from Singapore and other countries are also offered a variety of services by Grab when visiting Indonesia. This includes renting a GrabCar service for tourists visiting places such as Jakarta, Bandung, Surabaya, Yogyakarta, Bali, Manado and Makassar. Selected "Rent a GrabCar" drivers will be trained to become tour guides, and will obtain ‘Wonderful Indonesia’ certification from the Indonesia Ministry of Tourism.Tourists from Singapore will receive discount codes to the rental service in Jakarta through the Indonesia Ministry of Tourism’s "Hot Deals Jakarta" promotion program. In time, Grab users from Singapore visiting Indonesia will be able to receive "Hot Deal" promotions based on their real-time location and recommendations through the Grab app.Selecting Southeast Asia as one of the Ministry of Tourism’s priority, the organisation looks to realise its target of attracting 17 million international tourists to Indonesia this year.Minister of Tourism of the Republic of Indonesia Arief Yahya said that the objective of this partnership is to showcase Indonesia to the international area through Grab's presence and user base in Southeast Asian markets.“The Wonderful Indonesia brand campaign is reflecting positioning and differentiation of Indonesia Tourism and has received global recognition since 2015. We are proud that now Wonderful Indonesia campaign has ranked 47 globally. This campaign has become the biggest contributor for Indonesia country branding with US$1 Billion valuation. With 40% of ASEAN tourists travelling to Indonesia, this co-branding partnership will help more Southeast Asians discover the beauty of our country," he added.Lionel Yeo, Grab’s CEO advisor said that mobile penetration rate in ASEAN is growing rapidly, and that Southeast Asians spend an increasing amount of time online on their smartphones."We see a great opportunity to serve customers better by giving them information on new travel destinations, and allowing them to book trips and packages, via the Grab app,” he added.Moreover, Grab has also rolled out a "GrabCar Shelter" feature for designated pick-up/drop-off points for tourists to and from International Airports in Tangerang, Jakarta, Bandung and Palembang. This is in addition to its GrabFood service, which is now available in 116 cities in Indonesia. Grab had also introduced a Grab Chat feature, a translation function which allows travellers to better communicate on the app.Ridzki Kramadibrata, managing director of Grab Indonesia said that by working with the public sector, the company aims to promote the tourism sector which will benefit local communities and support micro-entrepreneurs in a sustainable manner."As the largest technology startup in Southeast Asia, we are very happy to be able to make significant investments in Indonesia's future and drive Indonesia's transition to a fully digital economy," he added.Earlier this year, Grab signed a transportation sector partnership with Primer Koperasi Angkatan Udara (PRIMKOPAU). The partnership looks to facilitate passengers who arrive in Husein Sastranegara International Airport, Bandung. This allows them to continue their travel journey by visiting Grab’s official pickup point and directly book transport services through GrabCar.