THE introduction of direct air services linking Singapore to Mongolia, Uzbekistan and Lanzhou in China’s northwestern Gansu province this year is whetting Singaporeans’ appetite for exotic holidays in these far-flung destinations.
Angela Wong, director of global accounts Singapore, Helms Briscoe, a meetings procurement and site selection agency, said: “We definitely see growing interest in these places, especially for incentives, because we have already exhausted the usual places like Bali and Phuket.
“We want to promote these culturally rich destinations because chances are high that they (Singapore travellers) have never been there before.”
Anita Tan, COO of the National Association of Travel Agents Singapore, said: “Broadly speaking, there is growing popularity for such lesser-travelled destinations particularly among mature travellers aged 30 and above, who have more disposable income and have already seen most of what the world has to offer in terms of mass-market destinations.”
Tan said that the average length of stay in these destinations varies between eight and 12 days. “For such places like Mongolia, Uzbekistan and Lanzhou, the (pull) factors are the cultural and historical aspects of the destination, which can be in the form of cuisine, heritage sites and architecture,” she said.
Similarly, Jeremiah Wong, senior executive of marketing and communications at Chan Brothers Travel, highlighted how the company’s new eight-day Uzbekistan tour package launched this year has been sending groups out every week during the seasonal peak period.
“This country’s exotic culture and architectural masterpieces is like a dream holiday for history buffs, photography lovers and culture vultures,” he said.
The company’s Silk Road tour, which can be connected via Lanzhou now, also garnered a record 100 travellers from Singapore earlier last month, added Wong.
Dynasty Travel director of marketing communications, Alicia Seah, said: “However, these new links are primarily not just to attract tourists from Singapore but also around South-east Asia which entails a much a bigger population, and Singapore will be the connecting hub.”
Seah elaborated: “As Mongolia, Lanzhou and Tashkent are rich in Muslim culture, they will be attractive especially to the religious (travel) audience in South-east Asia as well.”
Robin Yap, managing director of The Travel Corporation Singapore, feels these exotic spots are “fairly new” hence he has yet to add them to his product offerings. “Training for consultants is also necessary to give accurate information about these destinations, but experienced consultants should not take too long to become an expert,” said Yap.
Chan Brothers’ Wong suggested: “As new destinations are still considered niche and lesser known, we should have more marketing campaigns led by the relevant airlines, NTOs and travel (consultants) to promote these destinations and ideally sustain the demand after the big bang.”
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