16 June 2015

Explore Asia with a tap of your smartphone for free, starting with Singapore

Singapore, 16 June 2015 – Discover and book overseas adventures as well as create travel itineraries wherever you are from the palm of your hands with Goru, the first all-in-one digital concierge smartphone app tailor-made for travellers to Asia.

“With many travel sites, forums and apps available today, travellers while planning their trips are often bombarded with an overload of options on accommodation, attractions, shopping, transport, dining and more. For this very reason, we challenged ourselves to create a traveller-friendly app to simplify the overall travel experience and more importantly, use mobile technology to up the enjoyment,” said Mr Stephen Lee, Head of i3 (Innovation, Investment, Incubation), StarHub.

Currently offering Singaporean content recommendations from a growing list of popular content providers, including Agoda, Chope, City Nomads and YourSingapore.com, the Goru app will be updated regularly to include exclusive retail and dining discount offers as well as new travel related content and maps from other Asian destinations, with the next likely to be Indonesia and South Korea.

Mr Lee added, “Through our close collaboration with Asian telco partners as well as renowned content providers in the regional tourism industry, our globetrotting Gorus (Goru app users) and even staycationers now have easy access to only the most relevant country-specific travel tips and services.”

The Goru app works by first detecting users’ location and connecting them to the must-have list of locally-relevant tourist apps and information. In mere seconds, Gorus can compare and book the best hotel deals, make restaurant reservations, browse up-to-date travel and event guides and uncover the coolest spots, all through this integrated app.

More than just being a free app on the Apple App Store and Google Play, the Goru app also offers free local data access charges when paired with StarHub Mobile pre-paid SIM cards, to enable travellers to discover Singapore’s sights, sounds and smell.

StarHub and the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) had teamed up last year to allow over 700 business visitors to trial the app. “We are pleased with this complementary collaboration. Besides leisure travellers, business delegates coming into Singapore for conferences and trade exhibitions often need pertinent destination information at their fingertips. By providing a comprehensive array of destination information on demand, Goru helps enhance the overall experience of visitors to Singapore,” said Mr Andrew Phua, Director, Exhibitions and Conferences, Singapore Tourism Board.

The buzz first started earlier this year with The Goru Race, during which over 14,000 Gorus competed to achieve the most referrals in order to win a pair of free round-trip plane tickets to Seoul.

SUPPORTING QUOTES

Mr Dinesh Balasingam, General Manager, Chope Singapore

“Chope makes dining easier than ever before for foodies in Singapore, with restaurant recommendations and 24/7 table reservations at the city's top dining spots. We are thrilled to make this service more accessible to visitors of our fine gourmet capital by partnering StarHub on Goru. Now, visitors can get the insiders' hook up with bookings at Singapore's most desirable tables with just a few clicks, even while they are on-the-go exploring the city.”

Alexander Linton, Founder, City Nomads

“We are truly excited to be partnering StarHub on the Goru app. What they have done is unique, user-friendly, and something that Singapore has been waiting for. Whether you are visiting or living in Singapore, the Goru app will definitely help you navigate the good life. We are happy that the awesome content we work tirelessly to create on CityNomads.com will be reaching a wider audience and will help send more people to the great restaurants and bars that Singapore is known for.”

For more information, please visit getgoru.com.