The temporary suspension of Singapore Flyer’s flight operations has left local DMCs questioning the observation wheel’s attractiveness vis-à-vis other tourist landmarks in the vicinity.
The Flyer is often prominently featured in the skyline of Singapore, standing alongside other attractions such as Marina Bay Sands and Gardens by the Bay.
This proximity has made the Flyer an icon of Singapore, opined Laurence Lee, director of business development, Indochina, inbound, Hong Thai Travel Services.
He expressed, however, that the aforementioned neighbouring landmarks have become “more prominent” and also more popular in comparison to the Singapore Flyer.
Kei Satoh, sales & marketing senior manager, JTB Central Sales Operations (Asia Pacific), agreed, commenting that visitors often “prefer other tour packages” to itineraries that include a visit to the Flyer.
He has not seen much demand for tickets to the Flyer, and his agency does not currently offer Flyer tickets in its menu of attraction ticket bundles.
The Flyer can stand to benefit from improvements to renew visitor interest, Satoh said. He suggested: “Right now, Singapore Flyer has no agent rate. If they introduce promotional bulk prices for agencies, we would consider selling the ride in more packages.”
Straco Leisure, the operator of the Flyer, is “not able to commit when the flight (schedule) will be resumed”, said Veronique Ye, director, marketing and sales, Singapore Flyer.
She assured: “We are working around the clock with the Building and Construction Authority and specialist professional engineers to investigate the technical issue and conduct all necessary tests before we resume flight operations.”
