YOU can take the Singaporean out of Singapore, but not the gastronomic adventurer out of the Singaporean.
In a study of Singaporeans’ travel habits by Changi Airport Group, denizens of the Lion City ranked good food (61 per cent) as the hallmark of an ideal vacation destination, followed by the number of shopping malls (50 per cent) and historical relics (47 per cent).
Trying the local food was far and away the number one must-do activity when on holiday, scoring 93 per cent of votes, while visiting tourist attractions and buying souvenirs for colleagues and friends ranked 68 and 55 per cent respectively.
Singaporeans even love airplane food. When asked what were the top three things they looked forward to on a flight, food obtained 65 per cent agreement. This makes food second only to movies/inflight entertainment (73 per cent) and beats out sleep (65 per cent).
When it comes to choosing a flight though, prices were the biggest influencing factor, trailed by flight timings and airline presences.
Unsurprisingly, more than 50 per cent of respondents mentioned a gadget as their most important item on a trip, with 20 per cent naming mobile phones as their must-have.
Eleven per cent felt obtaining a sim-card was more important than grabbing food and water upon arrival (three per cent).
Meanwhile, Singaporeans’ top travel concerns include jet lag (46 per cent), inability to fall asleep in hotel (38 per cent), being easily tired out (35 per cent), and having constipation (31 per cent).
