Few travel companies in Singapore can boast a lineage as deeply intertwined with the country’s progress as World Express. Founded in 1969 by travel entrepreneur Tan Chee Chye, this travel company’s growth story over the past five decades mirrors the evolution of the Singapore tourism narrative.

“The ‘Made in Singapore’ brand is our DNA. We started at almost the same time of Singapore’s founding, and have grown and developed alongside the country,” said Darren Tan, the second-generation leader and managing director of World Express.

Today, World Express stands as a market leader in Singapore’s inbound tourism and destination management company (DMC) sector. This achievement wasn’t accomplished overnight; it’s the result of steadfast commitment to principles – a passion for providing highest levels of destination services – that have been at the heart of the company over the five decades of operation.

For its enduring efforts and professionalism, World Express was most recently recognised as Best DMC (Asia) at the M&C Asia Stella Awards 2023. It was also a finalist for Singapore Tourism Awards’ 2023 Outstanding Event Organisers category.

Crystallised vision

As World Express celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2019, Tan was eager to usher in the next phase of growth, but the Covid-19 pandemic put a temporary pause to any expansion ambitions. Like many leaders in the travel industry, Tan had to steer the company through a significant transformation, but the pandemic also presented new opportunities for World Express.

Cruises, for instance, emerged as a new avenue of growth as a greater segment of Singapore’s travel population embraced cruising. MICE, in relation to Singapore’s strength as a business and events hub, was one of the first segments to rebound from the pandemic.

One notable shift is the increasing demand for customised experiences, a trend that became even more pronounced in the post-pandemic landscape. “We see growth in customised experiences and we’re enhancing our value proposition to provide more bespoke services,” noted Tan.

Emerging from the pandemic with a “crystallised vision” for the company, Tan began charting World Express’ future while fortifying its three core business pillars: MICE, leisure, and cruise. At the heart of this vision is his commitment to prioritise talent recruitment and retention.

“We saw strong opportunities in MICE and cruise during Covid. It’s a strategic decision to put in place a core team in these segments to expand our services and pursue even bigger events and opportunities,” Tan emphasised.

“The ‘Made in Singapore’ brand is our DNA. We started at almost the same time of Singapore’s founding, and have grown and developed alongside the country,” said Darren Tan, managing director, World Express.

People at the heart of growth

Tan recently appointed a trio of new management professionals, all seasoned industry experts with extensive experience in Singapore’s travel and DMC sector.

Kathryn Loh, who has had an illustrious career with DMCs such as SingExpress Travel DMC, Tour East Singapore and Siam Express, joins World Express as the director of MICE and corporate development. Tan commended her track record and stated, “Kathryn needs no introduction for those in the industry. Her past accomplishments speak for itself. She has successfully organised major MICE events in Singapore in the past, delivering on Singapore’s reliability as a destination. Having her on board will elevate the breadth and quality of our services.”

Valencia Ang, another industry expert, has been appointed as the director of cruise services. Tan added, “Valencia is also an inbound expert, having worked with different markets, both Western and Asian, and possesses extensive on-ground experience. With her helming our Cruise team, we can enhance our operations while developing new products for the cruise sector.

Eunice Chua, a well-known figure in Singapore’s MICE industry and former regional director of MICE at Tour East Singapore, has taken on the role as advisor.

These seasoned veterans complement World Express’ existing team, which includes Eeling Koh, director of MICE, and Candice Lim, director of leisure, both recognised forces in their respective domains.

With a strong management team in place, Tan looks forward to unlock the next stage of growth for World Express.

“We now have the support of top executives and a pool of mid and young talents,” said Tan. “The business is solid, and we’re making strides to cultivate a new generation of DMC experts.”