Credit: 123rf
OPERATORS handling the Singapore market usually benefit from the school holiday season, but the haze, coupled with yesterday’s ‘red shirt’ rally, had resulted in low demand for tours from the city-state.
Richard Ng, business development director of Dream Holidays Planner in Singapore, has received cancellations of four group bookings due to the bad haze and the rally. However, he still sees demand from day-trippers heading to Johor for shopping and dining.
“While there are bookings in October, if the haze continues, clients may cancel and we will give them a full refund,” said Ng.
Raaj Navaratnaa, general manager of New Asia Holiday Tours & Travel in Johor, saw a 60 per cent drop in bookings from Singapore compared with the same period a year ago.
He said: “The build-up to the rally, with its racial undertones, has not helped. Due to safety and security concerns, many Singaporeans have made plans to travel to alternative destinations within this region.
“For those who go for tours in Penang, Kuala Lumpur and Malacca, we will proceed with the same itinerary but reduce outdoor activities,” he added.
However, Harminderjit Singh, managing director of Ipoh-based RA Jits Travel & Tours, said demand had dropped only slightly from Singapore due to the haze.
He said: “Those who had made bookings earlier are still continuing with the tours. As a precaution, my company has cut down the tour hours by an hour to 1.5 hours as the haze tends to worsen in the evening.”
