New mobile app TravelEase allows users to make advance booking for tours, attractions and shows in Singapore, soon Hong Kong, Bangkok, Tokyo and Taipei. Plus, it's free. Mallika Naguran reports.

Singapore, 8 May 2017. Making it easier for tourists in Singapore to see more attractions and attend more events - and save money at the same time - is the objective of a new mobile app (application) called TravelEase, a local start up with its tech savvy eyes on regional expansion.

With close to 5000 registered users in ten countries, including India, Indonesia, Malaysia and Australia, the TravelEase App which started in September 2016, is going through an expansion phase this month, adding more categories and attractions for Singapore, as well as moving into Hong Kong and Bangkok.

Up until now, TravelEase has offered 45 attractions and events in different categories, the most popular being Gardens by the Bay and Universal Studios. This month, there will be five new categories, with another 20 places and activities to book in Singapore.

Food and drinks, along with art and culture, are expected to be the new categories to attract the most interest, says TravelEase General Manager Arvinder Singh. One such cultural attraction is the Buddhist Tooth Relic Temple and Museum.

The other three new categories are: tours and sightseeing, attractions and shows, and fun and activities.

“With our focus on providing a hassle free travel experience and competitive prices, means tourists can actually see and do more while in Singapore. By being able to search, select and pay in advance online, before they even arrive in Singapore, bookings are automatically stored in their own online itinerary and they can add more activities as they go along,” Arvinder explains.

How TravelEase Works

The TravelEase user, who joins for free, is also able to securely store their travel document details and any other planned events/meetings, get reminders of bookings, including syncing with their Google calendars. TravelEase users receive attractive discounts at attractions, along with a paperless record of their bookings and payments, all on their mobile phone. 

All the user has to do when arriving at an attraction or activity is show or scan the booking kept on his or her mobile phone. Reminders and directions are incorporated in the app to it make it even more convenient for the independent traveller who might be on a first Singapore visit.

TravelEase was conceived and developed by four well-travelled Singapore-based entrepreneurs who could see that the digital economy was putting control, access and payment into the hands of individual travellers, armed with their mobile phones.

“What we’ve shown in a relatively short time is that there is definite market demand for our mobile App in Singapore and regionally,” Arvinder says. “Our users are happy and we’re getting more and more local businesses on board with attractive offerings.”

So it’s a growing business that’s good for the tourist, the travel industry and the economy. So much so that TravelEase is already eyeing even bigger markets after Singapore, Hong Kong and Bangkok. Tokyo and Taipei are next in line. 

Connect to TravelEase on Facebook.

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