RAIL tours in Europe are becoming popular with Singaporean travellers, according to Singapore-based Deks Air Travel & Tours, GSA for DB Bahn, Germany’s national railway company.
Speaking at a networking session co-organised on October 28 with key German trade partners – German National Tourist Board, airBerlin, visitBerlin and DB Bahn – for the local media and trade, Deks Air travel & Tours director, Vivien Ou Yong, told TTG e-Daily: “We are seeing an expanding outbound Singapore market for rail tours in Germany and other parts of Europe.
“FITs, including business travellers, constitute about 60 per cent of our business, while small family and school groups constitute about 20 per cent.”
Ou Yong said Munich, Berlin, Dresden and other destinations near Berlin have been popular with Singaporeans.
“Tech-savvy and well-informed Singapore travellers mostly purchase the rail passes from us; unlike their Taiwanese counterparts who consult us for packages and itinerary suggestions, they prefer to plan their own itineraries and make their own bookings for accommodation and such,” added Ou Yong. The company is also the GSA for DB Bahn in Taiwan and most recently, Hong Kong, promoting three- to 10-day passes.
Irina Ens, head of area management non- and Eastern European markets international sales for DB Bahn, told TTG e-Daily: “We are encouraged by the huge growth of our Singapore business – as much as 50 per cent – in the last two years, so we are here to meet with the local press and potential new DB agents to heighten awareness of our offerings.”
Ens’ team, together with its German trade partners, had also held a networking session in Kuala Lumpur last week. Their next stop is Manila.
Ens revealed that recently launched was also a print-at-home ticket service for its German Rail Pass, accessible via parent company’s Deutsche Bahn international website, allowing non-European travellers to save on time and shipping cost.
Additionally, she said Deutsche Bahn is about to ink an agreement with the Eurail Group, appointing the company as the GSA of the Eurail Pass, which is expected to be bookable by DB agents from early 2015.
