SCENTS OF PLACE

From Changi Airport to MRT stations to a church, more public spaces are using fragrance to improve the visitor experience

- Yamini Chinnuswamy

For a few weeks in November and December, Christmas was in the air at the Downtown Line platform of Newton MRT station.

Not just because it was the festive season, but also because the station was part of a scenting trial run by SBS Transit in partnership with local company Lynk Fragrances.

Stevens, Little India, Downtown, Telok Ayer and Bencoolen stations were also a part of this trial.

SBS Transit spokesperson Grace Wu tells The Straits Times that the collaboration "aimed to create an inviting atmosphere to liven the festive spirit of our passengers during the holiday season".

Diffusers were used to release a light mist of the scent, which included notes such as fir and eucalyptus.

Standees at the platform explained the initiative and invited passengers to leave their feedback via a QR code.

The response was overwhelmingly positive, says Mrs Wu, and SBS Transit is now in discussions with Lynk to explore opportunities to bring back scented MRT stations.

While luxury malls and hotels often design signature scents, a scented MRT station is novel.

Other public spaces in Singapore, from the airport to a church, are also using scents to enhance the visitor experience.

Changi Airport's terminals, for instance, are filled with the fragrance of orchid, damask rose, ylang-ylang, geranium, mint, citrus and South American yerba mate. Its Orchid Tea blend is intended to evoke Singapore's ideal as "A City In A Garden". This vision is echoed throughout the airport, which is filled with gardens.

The scent was introduced in 2016 and is dispensed at high-traffic touchpoints such as the airport's departure hall doors.