People all over the world went overseas mostly for the purpose of travel in 2023 because the influence of coronavirus is weaker and weaker. I'm one of them as well.
I visited Taiwan 2 times and Singapore a time this year. They are my favorite nations, so I often go to them. The aim of this travel is to research Starbucks Experience, how they utilize digital technology in public transportation and the current state of them after the pandemic of coronavirus.
First, I checked the services of Starbucks as a shareholder of the company, which includes Tianyu, the 1st store in Taiwan, and Liat Towers, the 1st store in Singapore. While staying abroad, I'm so exhausted by the difference of cultures and languages. In the situation what heals me is the comfortable time at Starbucks. This experience shows the cafe is not only Third Place but also Haven for people from other countries, that is, it has a part like assistance for displaced persons.
Second, mobilities optimized by digital technology are very convenient. In Singapore when you get on public transportation, it is possible to use the contactless payment of credit card. By the way, it is introduced not only in Singapore but also in London and New York City. In Japan IC card, for example, Suica, is mainstream and the contactless payment of credit card is still in the experimental stage.
IC card has a weak point. It is that you need to make a deposit regularly. However, doing that on the contactless payment of credit card is not essential. In other words there is no action to move money in advance, so you can ride trains without concern for details. It is very good for customers.
The another topic is that I verified the quality of Uber in Taiwan and Grab in Singapore, which are ridesharing services. It made me so excited and feel they have a great potential. Customers are able to share the detailed information of operation with drivers via the internet all the time, so the latter have difficulty to commit frauds. This is the advantage of the service. It isn’t doing business in Japan but I hope it will start activities as soon as possible.
Third, people in Taiwan and Singapore are walking for the future strongly. For instance, the food stand streets have as much energy as the days before the pandemic of coronavirus. Besides, persons who wear masks in the nations are considerably less than Japan and use masks at the right time according to not being swayed by unreliable information but understanding the function of them. I think it means deciding how to live using your own judgment is crucial.
As you can see, visiting Taiwan and Singapore after the pandemic of coronavirus, I was able to think about the nature of things and solutions for issues through diverse experiences. Next year I will move forward to realize my visions on the basis of applying the contents into action plans.