OUTBOUND travel in Singapore grew 6.7 per cent in the first quarter of this year compared with the same period in 2015, according to GfK’s Travelscan data.
China and Thailand has remained as the top two destinations for Singapore travellers while Hong Kong has replaced Indonesia in third position this year.
Within the developed markets, Japan recorded the highest arrival growth due to currency exchange effects against the Singapore dollar, making the country more attractive in terms of spending power for Singapore travellers. Aggressive marketing activities from travel agencies also contributed to Japan’s tourism appeal.
Still, “South-east Asia remains the most travelled region as Singapore travellers still prefer to travel more often on shorter trips that requires less and shorter planning time”, said Anthony Tan, APAC lead for travel and hospitality, GfK.
Looking forward, outbound bookings for the next six months of 2016 has grown 13 per cent compared to the same period last year with second quarter bookings at 14.2 per cent higher over 2015 numbers.
For forward bookings, Japan is leading in terms of growth with a 68 per cent increase in travellers from Singapore while China remains the top destination with a 7 per cent increase.
Jakarta however, is seeing a 9 per cent dip in Singapore arrivals probably due to the recent terror attacks.
While overall numbers look positive, Tan cautions against headwinds from the recent financial turmoil and rising global oil prices adding pressure on aviation companies, thereby rising travel costs and slowing growth traction further into 2016.
