A PERSISTENTLY weak euro and improved consumer confidence at the start of this year have led to stronger forward bookings for Insight Vacations’ European tours.
Sheryl Lim, regional director of Asia, Insight Vacations, told TTG Asia e-Daily that year-to-date forward bookings out of Singapore had risen some 30 per cent, compared to the start of 2012.
“Our forward bookings suffered early last year because the government had advised a possible recession in 2012, causing Singaporeans to think twice about spending. We saw Singaporeans holding back on their mid-year holidays. Fortunately, as the year-end approached, travel bookings came forth strongly. Perhaps Singaporeans realised that if they did not take any holidays by the year-end, they would not have had a proper rest for the whole year,” said Lim.
She added: “It helps that the euro’s exchange rate against the Singapore dollar is still very attractive, making tours much cheaper than before and shopping opportunities in Europe most appealing.”
Lim said as much as 30 per cent of travellers who had booked Insight Vacations tour packages were repeat clients.
“Some travel with Insight Vacations on an annual basis, while others return on a three- to five-year cycle,” she said.
Lim expects a clearer picture of bookings out of Singapore to form after the NATAS Travel sales fair on February 22-24.
“We hope to end 2013 with a 15 per cent increment in bookings out of Singapore – and that is a conservative expectation. Singapore is in fact Insight Vacations’ largest market in Asia, and if the euro continues to stay down, the year could turn out to be very good for us,” she said.
